Role of Women in the Epic of Gilgamesh: a Glimpse into Ancient Mesopotamian Gender Dynamics.

The Epic of Gilgamesh: Context and Interpretation

The portrayal of women, or lack of them, in the Epic of Gilgamesh makes it apparent that women were thought of as a means to an end, used for pleasure and establishing authority, and not seen as warriors or heroes.

Although some critical insights into the culture and the women of ancient Mesopotamia are unquestionably obtained through a close reading of the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is essential to acknowledge problems with the text that significantly hinder efforts to grasp its meaning when employing it to devise an argument about ancient Mesopotamia.

The ancient age indicates that the historical context and culture in which it was created disappeared long ago. The Akkadian version (used in this essay) was written between 1300 and 1000 BCE (History on The Net). Around three thousand years ago. As a result, the text is impossible to evaluate from any perspective except an alien one.

Lost in Translation: Challenges of an Ancient Text

Adding to that, the version used here is written in English. Meaning (e.g., idioms) always needs to be understood in translation. While the lost meaning is determinable to a certain extent, it is less so with a language unspoken for a significant time. Fragments of the tablets on the text are missing as well. Crucial elements of the story could be lost. It is impossible to know for sure. A fragment or a few words could radically alter the viewpoints offered by classicists on the text.

The consequence of the inability to properly understand the entire text is that some interpretations of excerpts provided as evidence in this essay can be quickly challenged. “Right” answers do not happen. There are likely, unlikely, and things in between, but nothing absolute.

Women’s Role in the Epic of Gilgamesh: Objectification and Authority

Gilgamesh’s “lust” that “leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior’s daughter nor the wife of a noble” reveals women’s purpose for Gilgamesh and for rulers contemporary to the date of the text’s composition (Anonymous 4). Gilgamesh wants to objectify, subjugate, and receive pleasure from women. He is not interested in seeking a connection with these women. “Lust” is not love or romantic interest. It is purely sexual. Some of them already have a “wife” or significant other. He disposes of these women after sex.

Considering these considerations, it can reasonably be said that Gilgamesh is a rapist. It is unambiguous that women being mistreated or preyed upon by those in authority was not abnormal. This is because the notion of authority familiar to the ancient author informed the character of Gilgamesh. A confirmation that violence was a part of being a king and being Gilgamesh is found just before this excerpt, where Gilgamesh allegedly is said not to let even the young offspring of his enemy survive unscarred (Anonymous 4).

It is mentioned that some women Gilgamesh is having sex with are virgins. A double standard of sexual relations emerges from the notion of virginity. Men are encouraged to have sex. When they receive much of it, they are powerful and attractive. Sex is so great for a man that to enjoy sex with many is to secure authority and respect (see discussion about authority above). On the other hand, women could lose the chance to be married or be shamed for their sex. In ancient Mesopotamian society, a woman would be expected to be a virgin the night of their wedding day (Ancient et al.). So, Gilgamesh is ruining lives, and he is modeled after authority figures.

Masculinity, Sexuality, and Power Dynamics in Ancient Mesopotamia

Enkidu is a “savage man” until a Priestess teaches him “the woman’s art” (Anonymous 5). Enkidu only becomes an average Mesopotamian man upon intercourse with the Priestess, and a Priestess performs sex. The basis of appropriate masculinity is sex. This basis is troublesome because men control the described sex. If sex is a woman’s art, it is the woman’s responsibility to pleasure the man during sex. There is no expectation that the man has to pleasure the woman.

No reference to or discussion of pleasure is made regarding the Priestess during or after their sex. This reinforces the previously mentioned argument that women are not the benefactors of sex. The immense pleasure of Enkidu is, of course, written about. The Priestess is not forced to have sex via threat or use of force but must participate to fulfill her degrading role. She is ordered to do so. There is nothing about what the Priestess thought when asked to have sex with Enkidu except that she was willing. She does it without questioning if a man tells her to do something. She is merely an object Enkidu briefly enjoys to enter civilization. She is a means to his end and Gilgamesh’s end.

There are wise and powerful (though not physically so) female characters in the narrative. Ninsun, the goddess and mother of Gilgamesh, is described by the narrator as “well-beloved and wise” (Anonymous 5). She also provides an interpretation of his dream about meeting Enkidu. However, no women are sent to be heroes on an adventure. Women are not expected to be brave warriors.

Few moments in the text have women speaking at all. They are entirely silent, with a few exceptions from goddesses. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are men, and their masculinity is reiterated. How strong, god-like men they are. The lack of female adventurers and warriors tells women did not fulfill these roles. No women declare themselves physically strong or are mentioned as such, whereas Gilgamesh is declared as “strong as a savage bull” and Enkidu (Anonymous 4). Women can do great things, but it has been set distinct from the capabilities of men and less glamorous than fighting Humbaba.

The Epic of Gilgamesh apprises us of the misogyny and roles “men” and “women” fulfilled in ancient Mesopotamia, even with the significant challenges of interpretation posed by an ancient text. It is blatant that sex was, to some extent, to please men. “Men” and “women” are in quotes in order to highlight the socially constructed nature of gender and to point out that the gender system of ancient Mesopotamia is foreign to ours. Rape is not how male leaders legitimize authority, nor are extraordinary men said to be extraordinary based on physical strength today.

Reference

1. Anonymous. (1971). Epic of Gilgamesh. (Translated by J.D. Montgomery). Tigris Publications.

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