From the Old Testament book of Genesis, the serpent is a representation of the devil. God had strictly warned Adam and Eve not to eat from a particular tree in the Garden of Eden but Satan, in his crafty ways, managed to convince them to partake of its fruit promising it would give them unending wisdom. When God finds out what the two have done, He declares that from then henceforth human beings shall grow old and die while the snake would be subjected to physical violence from humans.
- The Epic Of Gilgamesh Summary
- Symbolism Of Snake In The Epic Of Gilgamesh Pdf
- Serpent In Epic Of Gilgamesh
- The Epic Of Gilgamesh Poem
- Symbolism Of Snake In The Epic Of Gilgamesh In The Bible
- As in the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, the snake in the Epic of Gilgamesh is a symbol of trickery and deception. Near the end of his long journeys, Gilgamesh has finally acquired the read analysis of The Snake.
- The snake can also shed its skin, which we can imagine as a metaphor for the idea of the stages of life, or even the idea of successive lives. From the earliest times, even before the Minoans, the snake is present, right back to the Epic of Gilgamesh, our earliest recorded story, dating to the eighteenth century BCE.
In the epic of Gilgamesh, the quest for eternal life by the lead character takes him to the particular flower that could accord him this wish (Shin-eqi-unninni 30-35). The serpent however causes him to let go of it. The serpent is responsible for Gilgamesh not getting everlasting life in the same way that the serpent in the Bible led Adam and Eve to lose a chance at eternal life.
In both stories, the serpent uses well thought out trickery to accomplish his mission. In the Bible story, the snake isolates Eve and then gets her to believe that God had a hidden motive not to let them eat the fruit from the particular tree. The temptation to go against God’s commands proves too strong and finally Eve gives in and finding out the goodness of the fruit manages to convince Adam to have a taste as well.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the serpent strikes at him (Gilgamesh) in his time of weakness- that is, whilst he is taking a bath. This similarly illustrates that the serpent knows that he is no match for the human when he (the human) is well aware of its strength and therefore preys on him during his weakest.
In the Gilgamesh story, the serpent tracks Gilgamesh’s movements all the way to the flower of immortality wish (Shin-eqi-unninni 30-31). While Gilgamesh stops to rest and have a bath, the serpent snatches the flower of eternal life from him consequently taking away immortality from mankind.
Crack no cd grand prix 4 mods. In the Bible creation story, he serpent chooses Eve’s time of weakness (when Adam is not present) to corrupt her brain with physical desires. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the serpent strikes at him (Gilgamesh) in his time of weakness- that is, whilst he is taking a bath. This similarly illustrates that the serpent knows that he is no match for the human when he (the human) is well aware of its strength and therefore preys on him during his weakest.
In both the Gilgamesh and the Old Testament story, the serpent is used as a representation of Satan. The crafty ways that Satan uses to get people to do things his way, is well manifested in the way that the serpent carries itself.
In both myths as well, the serpent has been given some human characteristics, in the sense that it can communicate to its victims by speech. Though in reality it is impossible for a snake to talk or even have such desires as eternal life, the humanization from both stories of this particular reptile is strikingly similar.
The main difference between the serpent incidents in the Bible story and the Epic of Gilgamesh is the fact that in the latter, the serpent snatched eternal life for itself.
This is as opposed to the creation story whereby Adam and Eve already had been accorded eternal life by God and only lost it as a punishment for their disobedience. Secondly, the repercussions are not clear on the part of the serpent in the second story. To some extent he actually gets rewarded with eternal life as opposed to the Bible story where he is cursed to walk on his belly.
Works Cited
Shin-eqi-unninni. “Gilgamesh”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Vol. A: Beginnings to A.D. 100, 2nd Edition. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 10-41. Print.
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The Epic Of Gilgamesh Summary
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Symbolism Of Snake In The Epic Of Gilgamesh Pdf
In comparing the epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible, we will discuss notable events such as Noah’s flood and the garden of Eden in the Bible. Both books revolve around the ideas of supreme beings. There are numerous similarities between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible. The main character in the epic is Gilgamesh. He is an extremely powerful and beautiful man, created by the gods. Abraham was an important character in the book of Genesis. Unlike Gilgamesh, he was born an average human and grew up in the same way. These are notable differences in the stories of the Bible and Epic of Gilgamesh. In the epic, many gods are mentioned and worshiped, such as Ninsun and Shamash. In Genesis, there is mention of only one God, a being that created the earth and skies, as well as humans and wildlife.
Read more of comparing the epic of Gilgamesh with the Bible at
Read more of comparing the epic of Gilgamesh with the Bible at
GARDEN OF EDEN AND ADVICE FROM ECCLESIASTES
This section discusses similarities between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible about Enkidu/Shamhat and Adam/Eve. In both, a god creates a man who lives amongst the animals. He is introduced to a woman who tempts him. In both stories, the man accepts food from the woman, covers his nakedness, and must leave his former realm, unable to return. Although there are a few differences in the stories of the Bible and Epic of Gilgamesh, the context is similar. The presence of a snake that steals a plant of immortality from the hero is another point of similarity. The closest parallel between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible is in the wording of several passages in Ecclesiastes. A rare proverb, “a triple-stranded rope is not easily broken,” is common to both Gilgamesh and the Bible.
Read more of the garden of Eden and advice from Ecclesiastes at
Read more of the garden of Eden and advice from Ecclesiastes at
COMPARING THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH, NOAH’S FLOOD AND OTHER BIBLICAL PARALLELS
![Gilgamesh Gilgamesh](/uploads/1/3/4/9/134901687/341208422.jpg)
Serpent In Epic Of Gilgamesh
The similarities between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible are in flood stories as well. They include areas, from the extent of the flood to the physical structures of the boat. In both books, the flood was for all mankind. We see a few differences in the stories of the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh. These are in terms of the shapes of the boats and means of the announcement by the gods. Some of the similarities are very striking, while others are very general. The event in the epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible are also similar in a historical point of view.
Read more of Noah’s flood and other biblical parallels at
Read more of Noah’s flood and other biblical parallels at
The Epic Of Gilgamesh Poem
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Symbolism Of Snake In The Epic Of Gilgamesh In The Bible
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