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Kind of. The name Gilgamesh and its themes did survive the text's loss. Gilgamesh was mentioned twice in later years, first as one of the giants (along with Humbaba, both names rendered into Hebrew very similarly to their Akkadian counterparts) mentioned in the Book of EnochBook of Giants, and second as a figure in a story told by Aelian. In the former, all we have is a name, a reminiscence of a story, perhaps; in the latter, the story seems to have been mixed up with Sargon's birth legend:

Aelian, De Natura Animalum 12.21:
A love of man is another characteristic of animals. At any rate an Eagle fostered a baby. … When Seuechoros was king of Babylon the Chaldeans foretold that the son born of his daughter would wrest the kingdom from his grandfather. This made him afraid and … he put the strictest of watches upon her. For all that, since fate was cleverer than the king of Babylon, the girl became a mother, being pregnant by some obscure man. So the guards from fear of the King hurled the infant from the citadel, for that was where the aforesaid girl was imprisoned. Now an Eagle which saw with its piercing eye the child while still falling, before it was dashed to the earth, flew beneath it, flung its back under it, and conveyed it to some garden and set it down with the utmost care. But when the keeper of the place saw the pretty baby he fell in love with it and nursed it; and it was called Gilgamos and became king of Babylon.

  • For the rest of the history of Gilgamesh, see Tigay's excellent overview The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic (UPenn 1982).

Besides these references, we're left to speculate. We do however have something stronger than the Genesis flood narrative, but in Greek sources. For example, in the Iliad, Aphrodite comes down to the battlefield at Troy and is subsequently wounded by Diomedes. She then flies up to Zeus, who she says is her father, and complains about her treatment.

This is a close parallel to Ishtar coming down to earth to seduce Gilgamesh, who insults her, whereupon she flies up to complain about her treatment to her father, Anu, who is king over heaven. Ishtar and Aphrodite were both well known for taking mortal lovers whose life ended tragically for them.

  • Charles Penglase's 1994 monograph Greek Myths and Mesopotamia makes a couple further claims along that route.

It might be no more than coincidence that both stories take place in a larger narrative of a great warrior who has a dear friend (Patroclus for Achilles, Enkidu for Gilgamesh), searches for immortality, and eventually accepts death, but the parallel is interesting nonetheless.

Kind of. The name Gilgamesh and its themes did survive the text's loss. Gilgamesh was mentioned twice in later years, first as one of the giants mentioned in the Book of Enoch, and second as a figure in a story told by Aelian. In the former, all we have is a name, a reminiscence of a story, perhaps; in the latter, the story seems to have been mixed up with Sargon's birth legend:

Aelian, De Natura Animalum 12.21:
A love of man is another characteristic of animals. At any rate an Eagle fostered a baby. … When Seuechoros was king of Babylon the Chaldeans foretold that the son born of his daughter would wrest the kingdom from his grandfather. This made him afraid and … he put the strictest of watches upon her. For all that, since fate was cleverer than the king of Babylon, the girl became a mother, being pregnant by some obscure man. So the guards from fear of the King hurled the infant from the citadel, for that was where the aforesaid girl was imprisoned. Now an Eagle which saw with its piercing eye the child while still falling, before it was dashed to the earth, flew beneath it, flung its back under it, and conveyed it to some garden and set it down with the utmost care. But when the keeper of the place saw the pretty baby he fell in love with it and nursed it; and it was called Gilgamos and became king of Babylon.

  • For the rest of the history of Gilgamesh, see Tigay's excellent overview The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic (UPenn 1982).

Besides these references, we're left to speculate. We do however have something stronger than the Genesis flood narrative, but in Greek sources. For example, in the Iliad, Aphrodite comes down to the battlefield at Troy and is subsequently wounded by Diomedes. She then flies up to Zeus, who she says is her father, and complains about her treatment.

This is a close parallel to Ishtar coming down to earth to seduce Gilgamesh, who insults her, whereupon she flies up to complain about her treatment to her father, Anu, who is king over heaven. Ishtar and Aphrodite were both well known for taking mortal lovers whose life ended tragically for them.

  • Charles Penglase's 1994 monograph Greek Myths and Mesopotamia makes a couple further claims along that route.

It might be no more than coincidence that both stories take place in a larger narrative of a great warrior who has a dear friend (Patroclus for Achilles, Enkidu for Gilgamesh), searches for immortality, and eventually accepts death, but the parallel is interesting nonetheless.

Kind of. The name Gilgamesh and its themes did survive the text's loss. Gilgamesh was mentioned twice in later years, first as one of the giants (along with Humbaba, both names rendered into Hebrew very similarly to their Akkadian counterparts) mentioned in the Book of Giants, and second as a figure in a story told by Aelian. In the former, all we have is a name, a reminiscence of a story, perhaps; in the latter, the story seems to have been mixed up with Sargon's birth legend:

Aelian, De Natura Animalum 12.21:
A love of man is another characteristic of animals. At any rate an Eagle fostered a baby. … When Seuechoros was king of Babylon the Chaldeans foretold that the son born of his daughter would wrest the kingdom from his grandfather. This made him afraid and … he put the strictest of watches upon her. For all that, since fate was cleverer than the king of Babylon, the girl became a mother, being pregnant by some obscure man. So the guards from fear of the King hurled the infant from the citadel, for that was where the aforesaid girl was imprisoned. Now an Eagle which saw with its piercing eye the child while still falling, before it was dashed to the earth, flew beneath it, flung its back under it, and conveyed it to some garden and set it down with the utmost care. But when the keeper of the place saw the pretty baby he fell in love with it and nursed it; and it was called Gilgamos and became king of Babylon.

  • For the rest of the history of Gilgamesh, see Tigay's excellent overview The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic (UPenn 1982).

Besides these references, we're left to speculate. We do however have something stronger than the Genesis flood narrative, but in Greek sources. For example, in the Iliad, Aphrodite comes down to the battlefield at Troy and is subsequently wounded by Diomedes. She then flies up to Zeus, who she says is her father, and complains about her treatment.

This is a close parallel to Ishtar coming down to earth to seduce Gilgamesh, who insults her, whereupon she flies up to complain about her treatment to her father, Anu, who is king over heaven. Ishtar and Aphrodite were both well known for taking mortal lovers whose life ended tragically for them.

  • Charles Penglase's 1994 monograph Greek Myths and Mesopotamia makes a couple further claims along that route.

It might be no more than coincidence that both stories take place in a larger narrative of a great warrior who has a dear friend (Patroclus for Achilles, Enkidu for Gilgamesh), searches for immortality, and eventually accepts death, but the parallel is interesting nonetheless.

Source Link
cmw
cmw
  • 1.2k
  • 6
  • 20

Kind of. The name Gilgamesh and its themes did survive the text's loss. Gilgamesh was mentioned twice in later years, first as one of the giants mentioned in the Book of Enoch, and second as a figure in a story told by Aelian. In the former, all we have is a name, a reminiscence of a story, perhaps; in the latter, the story seems to have been mixed up with Sargon's birth legend:

Aelian, De Natura Animalum 12.21:
A love of man is another characteristic of animals. At any rate an Eagle fostered a baby. … When Seuechoros was king of Babylon the Chaldeans foretold that the son born of his daughter would wrest the kingdom from his grandfather. This made him afraid and … he put the strictest of watches upon her. For all that, since fate was cleverer than the king of Babylon, the girl became a mother, being pregnant by some obscure man. So the guards from fear of the King hurled the infant from the citadel, for that was where the aforesaid girl was imprisoned. Now an Eagle which saw with its piercing eye the child while still falling, before it was dashed to the earth, flew beneath it, flung its back under it, and conveyed it to some garden and set it down with the utmost care. But when the keeper of the place saw the pretty baby he fell in love with it and nursed it; and it was called Gilgamos and became king of Babylon.

  • For the rest of the history of Gilgamesh, see Tigay's excellent overview The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic (UPenn 1982).

Besides these references, we're left to speculate. We do however have something stronger than the Genesis flood narrative, but in Greek sources. For example, in the Iliad, Aphrodite comes down to the battlefield at Troy and is subsequently wounded by Diomedes. She then flies up to Zeus, who she says is her father, and complains about her treatment.

This is a close parallel to Ishtar coming down to earth to seduce Gilgamesh, who insults her, whereupon she flies up to complain about her treatment to her father, Anu, who is king over heaven. Ishtar and Aphrodite were both well known for taking mortal lovers whose life ended tragically for them.

  • Charles Penglase's 1994 monograph Greek Myths and Mesopotamia makes a couple further claims along that route.

It might be no more than coincidence that both stories take place in a larger narrative of a great warrior who has a dear friend (Patroclus for Achilles, Enkidu for Gilgamesh), searches for immortality, and eventually accepts death, but the parallel is interesting nonetheless.