“The Fight between Civilization and Nature”

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the wild is represented as a place of primitivity but also of

immense power to transform people and their thinking. This is evident in the experiences and

connections that Enkidu and Gilgamesh hold with the wilderness. Enkidu, as a wild man, is

synonymous with the uncivilized wilderness and is what he originally calls home. On the other

hand, Gilgamesh represents the civilized world of order, but the wilderness allowed him to

undergo a process of self-discovery. The seemingly opposition between the wilderness and the

civilized world in reality enabled people from both sides to gain a more holistic understanding of

humanity.

The Epic of Gilgamesh portray the wilderness as a land that is untamed and lacks order,

needing dominance and control from the civilized. It is in this land where Enkidu was created.

The creation of Enkidu as described in “The goddess Aruru, she washed her hands, took a pinch

of clay, threw it down in the wild.” (I.101-102) highlights that Enkidu was made in and made so

that he could adapt to life in the wild with “All his body is matted with hair, he bears long tresses

like those of a woman: the locks of his hair grow thickly as barley” (I.105-107). These lines

introduced Enkidu as a wild man, or even an animal meant for the wilderness. Behaviorally, the

way he eats and drinks is in a wild manner too as conveyed in “he grazes on grasses, joining the

throng with the herd at the water-hole” (I.110-111). He also protects the herds by

                        [He filled in the] pits that I [myself] dug,

                        [he pulled up] the snares that I laid].

                        [He set free from my grasp] all the beasts of the field,

                        [he stops] me doing the work of the wild. (I.130-134)

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This establishes him on the side of nature and animals, and in opposition to civilization. From the

hunter’s perspective, the choice and emphasis on “work of the wild” implies a clear dominance

of civilization over wilderness, representing the wild as lowly or inferior. It was only until the

hunter spotted Enkidu and brought Shamhat to him that he experiences human interaction for the

first time, and this brought him into the world of the civilized.

Enkidu’s exposure to the civilized world further revealed the representation of wilderness

as simplistic and rudimentary. In Uruk, Enkidu is introduced to the human lifestyle for the first

time. In “Bread they set before him, ale they set before him, Enkidu ate not the bread, but looked

askance.” (II.44-46) suggests he fails to comprehend acts as simple as eating. Enkidu

experienced other civilizing factors in “The barber groomed his body so hairy, anointed with oil

he turned into a man. He put on a garment,” (II.108-110) and undergoes a transition from an

animal to a man. Everyday acts like eating, grooming, and dressing yourself is foreign and

unfamiliar to Enkidu again highlights the primitive nature of wilderness. The wilderness is also

represented as a place lacking emotional connection, language, and relationships. However, these

were all achieved after Enkidu joined the civilized world. Enkidu gains an adoptive mother

Ninsun and brother Gilgamesh in “Enkidu, whom [I love,] I take for my son, Enkidu in

[brotherhood,] Gilgamesh shall favor him!” (II.127-128). In contrast, none of these can be

achieved in the wilderness indicated in “the gazelles saw Enkidu, they started to run” (I.197).

Though Enkidu protected the gazelles for several days, they lack the ability to form emotional

connection or relationships as animals in the wilderness. Enkidu’s transition to the civilized

world further distinguished between the wilderness and city, simultaneously highlighting the

simplicity of the wild.

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 The representation of the wild changed drastically throughout the course of Gilgamesh’s

development. Initially, the wilderness served as an opportunity to display power and usurp land

as evident in the Killing of Humbaba. Literally, the killing of Humbaba is just a fight between

Gilgamesh and Enkidu versus Humbaba where Gilgamesh and Enkidu ultimately succeed.

Figuratively, killing of Humbaba is a symbol that nature must be tamed in order for civilization

to continue to prosper. After the killing of Humbaba, Gilgamesh and Enkidu “reduced the forest

[to] a wasteland” (V.303) highlighting the exploitation of nature as a mean to further allow

civilization to develop. However, after experiencing the death of Enkidu, the wild was

represented as a driving force in allowing Gilgamesh to undergo a journey of self-discovery.

More specifically, the challenges that Gilgamesh encountered in nature allowed him to self-

reflect and realize that life is spontaneous like “of the plant’s fragrance a snake caught scent,

came up in [silence], and bore the plant off” (XII.305-306). The thought that he has the power to

control everything has been proven false multiples times throughout his journey. Eventually, he

realized that death, like the uncontrollable parts of his journey is an inevitable aspect of the

human experience. The ending of the epic can be interpreted as an acceptance of death, he may

not be able to conquer immortality, but his name could live on through Uruk and the people of

Uruk. “A square mile is city, a square mile date-grove, a square mile is clay pit, half a square

mile the temple of Ishtar: three square miles and a half is Uruk’s expanse (XII.327-329). It is the

wild that transformed Gilgamesh from a tyrannical king to one who have the ability to reflect and

one who solely cares about the needs of his people.

The representation of the wild is a crucial aspect in the epic, but equally important is the

opposition between the city and the natural world. Near death, Enkidu “cursed the hunter to his

heart’s content, he decided [also] to curse Shamhat [the harlot]” (VII.100-101). Shamhat brought

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Enkidu into the civilized world which allowed Enkidu to benefit and experience things that he

could not have ever imagined which is listed in “You shall have neither bedroom, nor family

shrine, [nor hearth!]. No bed, chair or table” (VII.103-104). However, this is also a doubled-

edged sword as civilization also destroyed the innocence that may have made death less painful.

Gilgamesh, a civilized man also immensely benefited from Enkidu, a wild man. “Enkidu brings

from the wilderness to the city an intuitive sense of justice, an innate gift for friendship”

(Nathalia King, “Gilgamesh: When Terrified by Death”, Humanities 110, Reed College, August

31 2022) which helped Gilgamesh develop into a better king and better human overall.

Ultimately, we observe that the city and natural world mutually benefit from each other. They

allowed people from both sides to explore the sides of humanity that is unfamiliar and better

grasp the meaning of what it is to be human.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the representation of the wilderness and its opposition to the

city is a timely and universal theme that is still present in modern society. As we regard

ourselves as civilized human beings, we often ignore that our society is fueled and sustained by

nature. The epic written more than 4000 years ago acts as a constant reminder for humans to

preserve and coexist with nature.

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 Works Cited

The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated Andrew George. London: Penguin Books, 2003.

Nathalia King, “Gilgamesh: When Terrified by Death”, Humanities 110, Reed College, August

31 2022