Gilgamesh gay

is gilgamesh gay fate

Nancy Sandars' translation* of the Epic of Gilgamesh clearly says that "His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble", so definitely not gay. We see examples of homosexuality as far back as the Ancient Mediterranean. The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in Homer’s Iliad can be interpreted as either a close platonic bond or a.

The epic describes the relationship between Gilgamesh, the great powerful ruler of Uruk, and Enkidu, a male created by the gods to divert Gilgamesh from wreaking havoc in the world. The Epic tells of an arrogant king (Gilgamesh) whom the gods decide to tame by providing him with an equal (Enkidu). Some scholars describe him as his servant and others as his ‘beloved friend’. In "The Epic of Gilgamesh," Gilgamesh and Enkidu are not depicted as a gay couple.

Instead, their relationship is a deep, homosocial bond, akin to brotherhood, common in ancient heroic.

So I just did a paper on Gilgamesh and Enkidu being in a relationship and I found that most papers trying to disprove it kept referring to laws and traditions in Babylonia, Assyria, and even Hittite or other later cultures. But looking at the Sumerian version there's a ton of sexual puns like the axe and the heterosexual parts all seem post Sumerian. What do you think of people trying to relate much later cultures to an originally Sumerian text?

I think it's misleading at best. Nobody in Mesopotamia was gay - and nobody was straight, either. This is what the quote you shared is trying to express - that there is no homosexuality in the Epic of Gilgamesh, because the concept of homosexuality did not exist at the time. Going even further, gestures and emotions we view as romantic can be viewed as strictly platonic in another culture or even just by other people, as any ace or aro person will happily tell you ; see hand-holding, for example, or giving someone flowers.

That said, the author of your quote goes a little a lot too far, in my opinion. As for your main question: what do you think of people trying to relate much later cultures to an originally Sumerian text? I agree that this needs to be done with caution. On the other hand, I think that the reception of the Epic of Gilgamesh needs to be considered. The text is vague enough that multiple interpretations are possible, from close friendship to erotic desire.

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