Further Details on Gilgamesh
Thorkild Jacobsen’s analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh in The Treasures of Darkness is one of the most profound parts of the book. His treatment goes beyond summary or translation—he explores the religious and existential significance of the epic within the Mesopotamian worldview. Here’s a detailed breakdown of his analysis:
Jacobsen approaches the Epic of Gilgamesh not just as a literary masterpiece, but as a spiritual document - a reflection of the evolving Mesopotamian understanding of human life, the nature of the divine, and the confrontation with mortality.
He sees the narrative arc of the epic as emblematic of a larger shift in Mesopotamian religion from communal rituals and mythic metaphors toward a more personal, introspective spirituality.
The Friendship with Enkidu
Jacobsen emphasizes the transformative power of friendship in the epic. Enkidu, a man formed from clay and the wild, is initially a foil to Gilgamesh, but quickly becomes his equal and companion. Together, they confront and defeat Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven—feats that symbolize human courage, youthful ambition, and the quest for fame.
But Jacobsen reads their relationship as more than heroic camaraderie - it represents the awakening of the human spirit to emotional depth, interdependence, and vulnerability. Through Enkidu, Gilgamesh begins to understand love, loss, and the limits of human power.
The Death of Enkidu and the Existential Crisis
The death of Enkidu marks a turning point. Jacobsen views this event as Gilgamesh’s first real confrontation with death, not in abstract or mythological terms, but in deeply personal terms. Enkidu’s death exposes the raw reality that all humans must die - even the mighty.
Jacobsen argues that this moment shifts the religious outlook in the narrative from ritualistic acceptance of death to a philosophical and emotional wrestling with it. Gilgamesh is shattered, and his ensuing journey becomes a spiritual pilgrimage.
The Journey to Utnapishtim: A Spiritual Quest
Gilgamesh’s journey to find Utnapishtim—the immortal survivor of the flood - is interpreted by Jacobsen as a symbolic descent into the unknown, a search for wisdom and transcendence. It mirrors traditional Mesopotamian descent motifs (like Inanna’s descent into the underworld), but with a new dimension: personal salvation and the desire for immortality.
Gilgamesh seeks the secret of eternal life not through offerings or magic, but through personal struggle and direct encounter with truth - a hallmark of the maturing Mesopotamian spiritual consciousness.
The Flood Story and the Limits of Human Aspiration
Jacobsen gives significant attention to the flood narrative told by Utnapishtim. He interprets it as a theologically reflective story, explaining why the gods no longer grant immortality to humans. The gods, in earlier myth, were capricious; now, they are distanced, their decrees final.
The flood is not just a cosmic reboot—it becomes a metaphor for the boundary between the mortal and the divine, between the chaos of death and the order of human life. Utnapishtim, the rare exception, emphasizes that immortality is not the goal for humankind.
The Plant of Rejuvenation and Its Loss
When Gilgamesh acquires the plant of youth and then loses it to a serpent, Jacobsen sees this as a moment of spiritual awakening. Gilgamesh realizes that no matter how heroic or determined he is, true immortality cannot be grasped through physical means. The loss is not a failure—it is an initiation into wisdom.
The serpent, often associated with renewal and rebirth, ironically becomes the agent that forces Gilgamesh to accept his human limits.
Return to Uruk: Embrace of Mortality and Civilization
The epic ends with Gilgamesh returning to his city, Uruk, and praising its great walls. Jacobsen reads this as a reconciliation - Gilgamesh no longer seeks to escape death but to live meaningfully within the bounds of human life.
The praise of the city walls is symbolic: civilization, memory, relationships, and legacy are the real “immortality” humans can attain.
Jacobsen’s Key Theological Insights
In Summary
Jacobsen’s reading of The Epic of Gilgamesh shows how this ancient narrative served as a vessel for profound religious and psychological insight. It marks the emergence of an individual-centered spirituality in the ancient world—where gods are not only cosmic forces but also symbolic mirrors of human hopes, fears, and growth.
His analysis reveals The Epic of Gilgamesh as a cornerstone in the spiritual evolution of the ancient Near East, bridging the mythic and the existential, the communal and the personal.