Humbaba

Humbaba is the monstrous guardian of the Cedar Forest appointed by Enlil to protect it by terrifying men away.  Gilgamesh’s desire for fame encourages him and Enkidu to enter the Cedar Forest in order to defeat Humbaba.  He is a fierce monster that challenges the strength and courage of Gilgamesh due to his size.  When the battle first begins, Humbaba charges towards Gilgamesh and Enkidu.  However, with both Gilgamesh and Enkidu against Humbaba, he was at a disadvantage.

Humbaba appears pathetic in Book V because he states, “Gilgamesh, have mercy.  Let me live here in the Cedar Forest.  If you spare my life, I will be your slave, I will give you as many cedars as you wish.”  At first, Humbaba was very intimidating but once he realized he couldn’t defeat Gilgamesh and Enkidu together, he begged for mercy.  This immediately turns Humbaba into a “strange” villain.  He transfers from a freightening and powerful monster to a pathetic villain.  With these actions, he almost turns Gilgamesh into the villain because Gilgamesh would be the one doing the killing without any resistance from Humbaba.

Humbaba is important because you need a monster in order to have a hero.  Humbaba was killed by Gilgamesh’s selfish motivation for fame and glory.  With Humbaba dead and easy access to cedars, Gilgamesh can build infrastructure in Uruk that will aid his desired immortality and everlasting impression.

I feel that Humbaba’s death is appropriate because it helps the main character look and appear more influential and fierce.  Gilgamesh needs enemies to defeat within the story to prove himself as king of Uruk. Although, I wish that Humbaba would have put up a better fight.  He was portrayed as such a mighty warrior prior to the fight and then cowardly defeated by Gilgamesh.

Shamhat

Shamhat is one of the Ishtar’s priestess who gives her body to any man in honor of the goddess.  She is very patient, loyal, and wise.  Shamhat uses her love-arts to humanize Enkidu.  She helps reinforce Enkidu’s manhood by having sexual relations with him to show him what it feels like to “be a man” and boost his ego.  The poet presents her work as a tool to help Enkidu find himself as a person and gain the courage to challenge Gilgamesh’s strength and power.  Shamhat guides Enkidu to the great-walled Uruk to face Gilgamesh.

Modern Midwestern readers might be challenged by the character of Shamhat because of her line of duty or work.  To any modern day reader, she appears as a prostitute.  This is surprising or unfamiliar because most women we read about today are innocent and pure or influential and strong-willed without the sexual power.  Also, sex is a topic that isn’t openly discussed and viewed as inappropriate in literature.  Many readers today may be asking themselves, “Is she really considered a goddess when she just sleeps around?  She has a lot of sex and it’s okay?”  In our eyes, a goddess is a woman who wears white as a sign of purity and helps others, not a woman who sleeps with men to help them discover their manhood.

Shamhat is an important figure within the story of Gilgamesh because she embodies the mentor archetype.  She teaches Enkidu what it’s like to be humanized and encourages him to face Gilgamesh.  She also represents the Supernatural Aid in the Hero’s Journey.  She is a goddess sent to aid Enkidu in his quest towards Uruk.  Shamhat uses her wisdom in love-arts to help benefit Enkidu’s journey and intelligence.

 

 

Shamhat and Enkidu kissing.

Beauty and the Beast

One of my favorite fairy tales is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  

 

Archetypes:

The maiden/hero- Belle

The magician- The woman who cast the spell on the Beast

Shadow- Beast

Trickster- Gustan

 

17 Stages of Monomyth

Departure-

The Call to Adventure:  Belle goes searching for her father when he is lost in the woods.

Refusal of the Call:  Belle is nervous/scared of the mysterious and unfamiliar woods.

Supernatural Aid:  Belle takes her companion horse.

The Crossing of the First Threshold:  Belle enters the woods.

Belly of the Whale:  She enters the Beast’s castle in search of her father.

Initiation-

The Road of Trials:  Belle takes the place of her captured father.  She choses to be imprisoned inside of the castle with the Beast in order for her father to be freed.  She meets all of the magical household items within the castle and befriends them.

The Meeting with the Goddess:  Belle meets the Beast for dinner and realizes the true kindness and heart he has within himself.  They both begin to fall in love.

Temptation:  Belle wants to return home in order to take care of her sick father and leave the Beast.

Apotheosis:  The Beast is threatened to be killed by the people of Belle’s village.  The Beast kills Gustan, the trickster, to prove his true devotion to Belle.

The Ultimate Boon:  The Beast in transformed back into a prince because he was able to show his love and compassion for another human-being, Belle.

Return

Refusal of the Return/Freedom to Live:  Belle lives happily ever after and resides inside of the castle with the Beast.

Heroic Literature

I love reading, however I am the least familiar with heroic literature.  Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Sir Lancelot, and King Arthur are names I recognize but I know very little about them!  Beowulf, Sir Lancelot, and King Arthur are old English heroic tales that date back centuries ago.  I am excited to expand my knowledge base in literature by being introduced to heroic literature.  I feel that tales of heroes are important because every individual has their own idea or concept of a hero.  A hero is best known as someone who is courageous and willing to help others.  Heroes are found in all cultures and I’m curious to see the similarities and differences between these heroes from culture to culture.  Heroes today are not necessarily in stories or tales.  In my opinion, heroes in today’s world are important political figures who have made strides in helping those are who are underprivileged and those who have helped better mankind.  For example, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi.

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