Gilgamesh is a semi-legendary king of Uruk

Gilgamesh was a semi-legendary king of Uruk, an ancient city of Mesopotamia, and is best known as the star of the first epic ever written, the Epic of

Gilgamesh, where he sought immortality after the death of his friend Enkidu. Although this character has become legendary, everyone agrees that Gilgamesh is a historical figure and the 5th king of Uruk who reigned in the 26th century BC. His influence was profound, and myths about the king developed and eventually led to the Epic of Gilgamesh written 700 to 1000 years after the historical Gilgamesh’s life.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story that grapples with the meaning of life and fears, not death, but meaninglessness. Gilgamesh grapples with the death of his friend and the questions it evokes resonate with every human who has struggled with the meaning of life in the face of death. While the Gilgamesh character certainly didn’t achieve immortality, his quest gives meaning to his life and the fact that we’re still talking about him four thousand years later proves that in fact , he has attained immortality.

Image: Gilgamesh can be depicted as the Master of Animals, holding a lion in his left hand and snake in his right, in Assyrian palace relief (713–706 BC) , from Dur-Sharrukin, now kept at the Louvre

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