Questions on Gilgamesh ...
Questions on Gilgamesh
Harrison
Some of the gods of Gilgamesh:
Adad, storm god
Anu, god of the sky, “firmament,” great above
Aruru, goddess of creation
Ninurta, god of war
Nisaba, goddess of corn
Ninsun, Gil’s mom
Enlil, god of earth, wind, and spirit, manifestation of Anu
Shamash, sun god, giver of law
Ningal, Shamash’s mom
Ishtar (Sumerian Inanna), goddess of love. And war.
Ancient measures:
League 3 miles
Score 20
Cubit 18 inches
Shekel about ½ ounce
- What kinds of problems is Gilgamesh causing for his subjects at the beginning of the story?
- How do the gods plan to deal with the problems?
- When Enkidu is created, is the solution of the problem immediate, or does something else have to happen first? What?
- What other stories have you heard of wild men being tamed by the love of women?
- Do dreams have meaning? Do other signs—tea leaves, the lines in the palm of your hand, the signs of the zodiac? We may not believe in these signs, but the ancients did.
- How does Pharaoh in Genesis learn the meaning of his dream about the upcoming famine? How does Gilgamesh learn the meaning of his dreams about the force of heaven and the axe?
- When women want to make friends, what do they do? What do men do?
- What is Gilgamesh going to do when he encounters Enkidu?
Solution:
