The Role of the Gods in the Ancient Western World (Essay Sample)

The Role of the Gods in the Ancient Western World The Gilgamesh Epic was written a long time ago. It is reported to have been ‘penned’ in the early third millennium B.C. The Epic is the story of a group of gods who put the main character through a flood and other activities. It is also said to be older than the biblical account of the flood but that is debatable since it is difficult to prove which account actually came first. Oldest discovered does not translate into the first written.[Cole & Symes, “Western Civilizations Vol. 1, https://www.amazon.com/Western-Civilizations-Their-History-Culture/dp/0393934888 (2011)] [Cole & Symes “Western Civilizations Vol.1, https://www.amazon.com/Western-Civilizations-Their-History-Culture/dp/0393934888 (2011)] In answering the question, ‘what is the role of the gods in ancient western history’, there is an overshadowing question that influences this topic. How can we be sure that the Epic of Gilgamesh represents the general view of the ancient gods and is not simply the views of the author himself? In reading the Gilgamesh Epic it became clear that the gods were thought to be more like humans than divine superior beings. They plant gardens, have human like problems, nothing is perfect but the nature of the godly world is similar to the nature of the earthly world. They even need to be rescued by humans which prompts the question, why are they not powerful enough to solve their own problems even though they have been endowed with great powers[Mark, 2010, (2010) Gilgamesh, http://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/ (2010)] [Mark, 2010, Gilgamesh, http://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/ (2010)] The role of the gods in in the ancient western world then seems to follow this human pattern and can be seen in several ways. First, these are beings which are endowed with a lot of power yet often need the assistance of humans to overcome problems. The god Inanna is a good example of this as she planted a tree which became infected by a snake demon and a bird. She needs help but her own brother refuses to come to her aid so she enlists the help of Gilgamesh who is successful even though he is only a mere human. The gods are seen as gods but only slightly greater than human as they possess fear and are often afraid of Gilgamesh and his prowess.[Mark, 2010, Gilgamesh, http://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/ (2010)] A second way they demonstrate their role is through their response to different human behavior. This role is depicted as reactive as they send a flood to destroy a city for making too much noise. The flood wasn’t the act of a single god who wanted to punish mankind for any wrong doing simply the gods agreed that noise was the only excuse they needed to rid the world of their human counterparts. These gods seem to not be as superior as they think but have some sort of character flaw which makes them act more in a human capacity proving that the ancients saw these gods as mere humans but with extra super powers as well as immortality to elevate them.[Robinson, Points of similarity between the Babylonian and Noachian flood Stories, http://www.religioustolerance.org/noah_com.htm (2014)] The third and most important aspect to the role of the gods in the ancient western world is that they are mortal human‘s teachers. This can be seen in the attempt to humble Gilgamesh. Because Gilgamesh’s military exploits, his personal conquests brought him legendary status and a great reputation, the new found power and glory found its way to his head. He became very arrogant, prideful and often ignored the society’s rules, while committing acts of sacrilege and i...