Although I expected the Epic of Gilgamesh to be confusing and boring, I must say that I enjoyed reading it. One topic we slightly touched in class and that I was interested in blogging about, was the idea that Gilgamesh and Enkidu had a homosexual relationship. I would have to disagree and I will mention only a few pieces of evidence from the text that contradict the idea.
At the beginning of the poem, it is explained that Enkidu was mesmerized by a prostitute, which clearly explains that he is attracted to women. Also , before Enkidu and Gilgamesh went off to a battle with Humbaba, they visited Gilgamesh’s mother and asked for her blessing. In that scene his mother technically “adopts” Enkidu or recognizes him as her son, by gifting him sacred jewelry. Another part of the text that caught my attention was when goddess Ishtar asked Gilgamesh to be her husband and he refused. Many would say that he refused because he is in love with Enkidu, but the way I see it is that Gilgamesh is very vulnerable and afraid of getting hurt by the goddess.
In the text Gilgamesh also refers to his love for Enkidu as love for a wife. I find nothing homosexual about this because you can choose to take this in two ways. One way to take it is that Gilgamesh thought of Enkidu as his wife and was in love with him. However, the way I see it is that Gilgamesh was using somewhat of a metaphor to explain the bond him and Enkidu had and that he cared about his friend as much as he would have cared for his wife or someone as close to him as a wife. The way I look upon Gilgamesh’s and Enkidu’s relationship is that it’s a strong brotherly bond. They spend all of their time together, fight their battles together and keep each other strong and motivated. After they met for the first time and finished fighting each other, the text explains that they became friends and kissed. There are two waysyou can think of them kissing. There is one way which is a passionate kiss that a couple would share or a kiss of forgiveness and a start of a new friendship. Many cultures back then and still to this day have a way of greeting or showing affection by giving a kiss on the cheek, as in France for example and throughout the rest of Europe. I saw this kiss as a gesture of compassion and a start of a new brotherly bond.
I guess this controversy depends on how people interpret the text and the context of the poem. Some people may see them as really good friends with a strong brotherly bond, and others may pick up the mysterious clues within the text and see them as homosexuals. However, to me, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were nothing but best of friends and shared a brotherly relationship throughout the poem.
