Religion and Humanity in Mesopotamian Myth and Epic

Religion and Humanity in Mesopotamian Myth and Epic
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date: 22 December 2022
and leaves no trace. Gilgamesh’s attempts to supersede his mortality and to find meaning in life 
results in the acknowledgment of the importance of love, community, and shared achievements. 
He is advised by the beer deity Siduri to enjoy life’s small pleasures, such as clean clothes and his 
children.
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 For Gilgamesh, his close relationship with Enkidu and his role as king give meaning to 
his adventures.
The boundary between humanity and the divine worlds in Mesopotamian literature is frequently 
explored through narrative, yet it remains “fuzzy” and difficult to clearly define.
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 Divine beings 
can show human qualities, as can be seen in their anthropomorphic forms and their participation 
in universally human experiences such as birth, family life, and death. Human characters are 
presented as conceived with a “divine spark” or through divine inspiration, and they are capable 
of maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with deities. Legendary heroes and historical 
kings in the epic “genre” perhaps best illuminate the interconnected nature of human and divine 
relationships in literature. Religion is central to the exploration of the human condition in 
Mesopotamian literature. Despite the unbalanced and hierarchical nature of the human/divine 
connection, humanity is presented as holding a significant role in supporting the divine sphere, 
and positive human/divine relationships are essential for the well-being of both groups.
Although in myth humans are created to be in service to the divine, the search for meaning in 
Mesopotamian literary compositions is often intertwined with recognition of the importance of 
very human experiences such as love, the appreciation of family and community, friendships, 
life’s small joys, and shared human practices and achievements. These values underpin the 
actions and dialogues of the human protagonists of literature, but they are also reflected in the 
literary representation of the divine.