Write two paragraphs that analyze two points about why Gilgamesh is an epic hero. Be sure to use more than one example from the text to support each point. Select the links below to view the reading for reference.

Gilgamesh was a king of Uruk (c. 2700 B.C.) His legend is described in an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia - "Epic of Gilgamesh." The term "epic" stands for a long poem about a hero.

An epic hero is a courageous hero from an epic poem. There are multiple reasons why Gilgamesh fits into the concept of an epic hero. First of all - he is two parts god. Epic heroes usually possess supernatural qualities. At the very beginning of the epic, the narrator lists Gilgamesh's virtues and reveals that he is two-thirds god and one-third man. This revelation prepares the readers for Gilgamesh's accomplishments and introduces him as a true hero. Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu will fight all sorts of supernatural creatures - they will kill Humbaba, the guardian of a forest where the Gods live, as well as the Wild Bull of Heaven.

As an epic hero is always charged with a quest, in Gilgamesh's example, his quest is to find immortality. Gilgamesh loses his friend, which motivates him to begin this quest. He goes into the twelve leagues of darkness:  "At the end of five leagues, the darkness was thick and there was no light, he could see nothing ahead and nothing behind him" Gilgamesh succeeds in his mission when he meets Utnapishtim the Faraway who presents him with a herb of immortality. However, a serpent steals it.