Underworld in Ancient Myth

Paper Summary:

A discussion of how the myths "Gilgamesh" and "The Odyssey", by Homer deal with men who cheat death. Odysseus and Gilgamesh both battle the Gods and win. Gilgamesh, himself is part God, explaining his ability to defeat a God. Odysseus, the archetypal Greek hero, defeats various gods with the help of other God. It shows how Odysseus is granted the help of Zeus and Athena after he demonstrates his bravery by visiting the underworld and escaping. It concludes that both men learn about the proper way to live on earth after visiting the underworld and the visits make them great leaders.

From the Paper:

"Gilgamesh was one third man and two thirds god. Due to his special abilities, Gilgamesh felt he was worthy of everyone's praise, and therefore bossed everyone around. The citizens of Uruk were displeased with Gilgamesh's behavior and asked the gods for help. The gods responded by sending a man named Enkidu, who was a double of Gilgamesh. Enkidu lived in the forest with all the animals, and was a wild savage. One day Gilgamesh sent a hunter and a beautiful woman to the forest, planning to distract Enkidu from the animals. The hunter left, and Enkidu and the woman became good friends. Enkidu was turned into a man, and he left with the woman for Uruk."

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