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Gilgamesh: A Captivating Guide to Gilgamesh the King and the Epic of Gilgamesh
Explore the Captivating History of Gilgamesh the King and the Epic of Gilgamesh Free History BONUS Inside! Rarely does a name survive as many millennia as Gilgamesh has. World-renowned men of letters such as Carl Gustav Jung and Rainer Maria Rilke spoke nothing but the highest praise for the ancient Babylonian epic about the popular and much beloved Sumerian king. Numerous works of literature have been either directly inspired by or openly mimic this epic, all from writers who have nothing but the utmost respect for this treasure written in cuneiform. One has to wonder, how come something so old, so detached from this crazy modern world became so beloved, something which hundreds of researchers and creators worldwide would end up not just liking but being enamored with? It can’t have been its historical value—older and more crucial written texts of Ancient Mesopotamia were found and translated for modern audiences both before and after the Epic. It must be something else, then. It must be its contents, or, more particularly, the culture that created it. The aim of this new captivating history book is to allow you to go on a remarkable journey into this magic part of Mesopotamian history so you can come to your own conclusion regarding the question above as well as discover the truth about Gilgamesh. A Captivating Guide to Gilgamesh the King and the Epic of Gilgamesh will The History of the EpicAll Eleven TabletsSumerian Poems About GilgameshAnd much, much more!So if you want to learn more about the Gilgamesh, click "buy now"!
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2018
122 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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May 28, 2025Very dry retelling of the Gilgamesh story, with all the literary and especially poetic quality ignored. It contains quite some information, like an extended Wiki-article. But I can’t otherwise label this guide as plainly ‘flat’, really NOT captivating.
August 26, 2018
The Epic of Gilgamesh is dated to about 2600 BC. Much of the story is found on clay tablets from that time. The problem is that there are tablets and sections of tablets that are missing so we don't have the entire story.
Gilgamesh was a great king, according to the story. This book covers his background and his own story and then has sections on the main epic and various poems which usually contain material found in his story.
The story depicts a human ruler and his interaction with various gods and goddesses. He makes friends with Enkindu, a wild man. Together they battle a huge forest creature. There's also a Noah-like story and emphasis for both men on their fear of dying.
Some things are centered on the beliefs of that time period such as the goddess Ishtar who has had lovers which include men, birds, lions and a horse. You've got material that relates to a journey to the underground world of the dead and Gilgamesh's journey across the waters to find out the secret of immortality.
The story is considered the 'first piece of high literature' according to the author.
The book itself is well done. I, personally, don't like Gilgamesh as a person since he was basically a serial rapist (according to the book when a guy got married Gilgamesh got to have sex with the guy's wife before he could.) He also had a rather massive ego. Another part of the story I don't like is how a goddess seduces Enkidu when he was still in his wild state. They have a lot of sex and this 'weakens' Enkidu (basically civilizing him, apparently.) This seems to be another negative view of women and sex.
The book and the story give you a good bit to think about.
Gilgamesh was a great king, according to the story. This book covers his background and his own story and then has sections on the main epic and various poems which usually contain material found in his story.
The story depicts a human ruler and his interaction with various gods and goddesses. He makes friends with Enkindu, a wild man. Together they battle a huge forest creature. There's also a Noah-like story and emphasis for both men on their fear of dying.
Some things are centered on the beliefs of that time period such as the goddess Ishtar who has had lovers which include men, birds, lions and a horse. You've got material that relates to a journey to the underground world of the dead and Gilgamesh's journey across the waters to find out the secret of immortality.
The story is considered the 'first piece of high literature' according to the author.
The book itself is well done. I, personally, don't like Gilgamesh as a person since he was basically a serial rapist (according to the book when a guy got married Gilgamesh got to have sex with the guy's wife before he could.) He also had a rather massive ego. Another part of the story I don't like is how a goddess seduces Enkidu when he was still in his wild state. They have a lot of sex and this 'weakens' Enkidu (basically civilizing him, apparently.) This seems to be another negative view of women and sex.
The book and the story give you a good bit to think about.
February 23, 2019
Fascinating
I’ve always wondered what the content of Gilgamesh was. I’m happy to have found this book and finally know. Well written, easy to read, short and well researched, captivating.
I’ve always wondered what the content of Gilgamesh was. I’m happy to have found this book and finally know. Well written, easy to read, short and well researched, captivating.
March 7, 2019
Thumbnail sketch
Not an in-depth study, but a fine account of the story. Additional references are provided for additional study for those wanting more. Really enjoying these books in the series.
Not an in-depth study, but a fine account of the story. Additional references are provided for additional study for those wanting more. Really enjoying these books in the series.
February 27, 2020
This is yet another book in my 6 month reading project focused on Gilgamesh, Sumer, Babylon, and Mesopotamia. This book is great to read after reading one of the major translations of the poem. I like how it debunks that Gilgamesh & Enkidu are homosexual lovers even though I am gay.
October 11, 2025
An excellent summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh. An important epic, it is a masterpiece of the Sumerian civilization. It is fascinating that the story of Utnapishtim and the flood predates Noah's story in the Bible and Quran.
April 21, 2021
While it has been awhile, I have read the Epic of Gilgamesh and this appears to be a good, accurate summarization of the Gilgamesh story that should be read as a short summary of a great epic.
August 31, 2021
Essentially a play by play summary of the epic. Though the book seems well written, I’m not entirely sure what the point of the book is, there’s not much commentary or analysis.
May 23, 2023
Bleccchhhh. Don't bother.
February 27, 2025
Love Gilgamesh👍👍👍
February 11, 2022
Vastly Extended Commentary Comparatively
To prevent confusion, it seems expedient to say that this is not a tome pertaining to the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is an overall synopsis of said work, and in this case, similar to the Cliff Notes books that are still popular. However, Captivating History has (in my opinion) more to offer. Where most others (like Cliff Notes, etc.) provide a very basic and exclusive highlight of the considered text, Captivating History considers additional related references and resources that have either been demonstrably connected to the subject under study or have been thought to be connected to it in some other manner.
I first read the various commentaries on Gilgamesh and then the work itself beginning several decades ago. As often as I’ve read its specific words as well as the comments by numerous Sumeriologists and other archaeologists and historians (at the least!), as of my last reading of this classic some twenty-odd years ago, I decided I’d take a break and see if in the interim someone would be able to find all the lost pieces of the tablets that couldn’t be translated because they couldn’t be found in order to make just a bit more sense out of what we DO know so far. Confusing, yes, but it looks as though someone did just that.
As a result, quite a bit more of Gilgamesh’s life, and thus his story, can be read from the latest translations and understandings of these tablets.
Not typically an easy read, but it’s become moreso for me over the years, especially with the updated findings.
To prevent confusion, it seems expedient to say that this is not a tome pertaining to the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is an overall synopsis of said work, and in this case, similar to the Cliff Notes books that are still popular. However, Captivating History has (in my opinion) more to offer. Where most others (like Cliff Notes, etc.) provide a very basic and exclusive highlight of the considered text, Captivating History considers additional related references and resources that have either been demonstrably connected to the subject under study or have been thought to be connected to it in some other manner.
I first read the various commentaries on Gilgamesh and then the work itself beginning several decades ago. As often as I’ve read its specific words as well as the comments by numerous Sumeriologists and other archaeologists and historians (at the least!), as of my last reading of this classic some twenty-odd years ago, I decided I’d take a break and see if in the interim someone would be able to find all the lost pieces of the tablets that couldn’t be translated because they couldn’t be found in order to make just a bit more sense out of what we DO know so far. Confusing, yes, but it looks as though someone did just that.
As a result, quite a bit more of Gilgamesh’s life, and thus his story, can be read from the latest translations and understandings of these tablets.
Not typically an easy read, but it’s become moreso for me over the years, especially with the updated findings.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews