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=> My Paper: Reconciling Death Through Myth

My Paper: Reconciling Death Through Myth
Posted by Jeff (Guest) jeff@attoz.com - Friday, October 24 2003, 9:25:22 (EDT)
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Commentary: Keep in mind that if we weren't restricted to topics, I would have written the whole paper on the Epic, and I think it would have turned out much better. I recommend that all of you read the Epic, and don't read the shitty edition by Ferry... read one that has "Humbaba", not a watered down "Huwawa"... in any case, the Epic is a terribly great book. Cheers.
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Jeffrey Atto
Mythology (LLT4903)
Dr. Weinstein
10/21/03

Reconciling Death Through Mythology


For thousands of years, mythology has been used to help humankind cope with social and cultural issues that could not otherwise be explained (Weinstein 8/28/03). One can only wonder about what happens after death, but mythology dealing with this subject helps humankind to identify with the characters in the story and to reconcile humanity with the mystery and fear of death. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character, Gilgamesh, goes through a process of detachment, fear, explanation, rejection, and finally acceptance relating to human mortality. The reader is taken through this process along with Gilgamesh, and as a result the reader can apply the lessons learned from this myth and reconcile his or hear fear(s) related to death. In the Hymn to Demeter, and the story of Osirus and Isis, the idea of an afterlife (where the soul lives on after the physical body has died) is presented in the context of each story, which helps the reader deal with the uncertainty, fear, and mystery surrounding human mortality. Each of the above myths provides a distinct method for reconciling the reader with death.

The first step in the process of reconciling with death in the Epic of Gilgamesh involves a detachment from death, an understanding that immortality is reserved for the Gods, and a belief that the only way to live on after death is through fame. Early on in the story, Gilgamesh tells Enkidu that no mortal is able to enter heaven and that only the Gods can live forever. He goes on to say that the life of man is short, and that if Gilgamesh should die fighting Huwawa, his fame will be “secure to all [his] sons” (Ferry 17). At this point in the story, it appears as if the motivating force driving Gilgamesh is fame. If he dies while fighting Huwawa, his fame will live on. He seems to be detached from the idea of death, because instead of thinking about his own mortality, he makes a general statement about death (i.e. only the Gods can live forever; the life of man is short) and then concentrates on fame. Even after Gilgamesh finds out that Enkidu is going to die, he maintains this same attitude. He says to Enkidu that “to rage against the gods of heaven [for deciding to kill Enkidu, and also for deciding that mankind cannot be immortal] is futile” and that Gilgamesh will build a statue “to celebrate the fame of Enkidu” (Ferry 39). Gilgamesh still believes that fame is the only way to live on after death, and it is only after Gilgamesh experiences the death of Enkidu that he begins to seriously consider and worry about his own mortality.

Gilgamesh progresses along the process of understanding death after Enkidu dies. He agonizes over the death of Enkidu, and becomes depressed and fearful at the prospect of his own mortality. Gilgamesh even admits that it was only after witnessing Enkidu’s death and seeing a worm fall out of his nose that he felt the “fear of it [death] in my belly” (Ferry 56). After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh has Uruk’s best sculptors, metal-forgers, and copper and gold workers make a statue of Enkidu. Honoring Enkidu in this manner does not help pacify Gilgamesh and still misses his friend. After Gilgamesh begins to realize his own mortality, his mindset changes and he begins to fear death. Having a statue or fame is no longer enough for him, and he goes on a journey, the goal of which is to obtain immortality. At this point, Gilgamesh has gone from being detached from death, to being depressed and fearful of death. He also seems to be in denial, since the goal of his journey (to conquer death by attaining immortality) is impossible.

The next step in this process of understanding and reconciling with death involves the explanation of death, rejection of that explanation, and an acceptance of human mortality. While Gilgamesh is on his journey to seek out Utnapishtim, he encounters the tavern keeper, veiled Siduri, who gives Gilgamesh the following advice: Siduri tells Gilgamesh that only the gods can live forever, that the life of man is short, and then advises Gilgamesh to put on new clothes, to bathe, and essentially to eat, drink, and be merry (Ferry 57). Siduri’s advice – enjoying life and not worrying about things that cannot be changed (mortality) – is one of two invaluable pieces of advice that Gilgamesh receives on his journey. Determined to attain immortality at any cost, he immediately rejects Siduri’s suggestion and continues on with the journey. The second encounter worth mentioning is when Gilgamesh finally reaches Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that he cannot change the fact that humans are mortal because it was established by the gods that “there is life and death [for humans]” (Ferry 64). Utnapishtim is basically telling Gilgamesh what Siduri told him, but in a more roundabout way. Utnapishtim offers Gilgamesh some additional advice after Gilgamesh fails the test that would have made him immortal. He tells the boat-man Ursanabi to take the animal skin that Gilgamesh wore on his journey and throw it into the sea, and he recommends that Gilgamesh clean himself up and put on new royal garments so that he can return to his native city in honor (Ferry 78). The message here, again, is reminiscent of Siduri’s advice. Siduri advised Gilgamesh to bathe, to return home, and to enjoy life to its fullest. At the end of the Epic, after Gilgamesh has lost the plant which would have made him young again, he tells Urshanabi “…what I found was a sign telling me to abandon the journey and what it was I sought for [immortality]” (Ferry 81). The implication of this message to the reader is that Gilgamesh finally realized the futility of his quest for immortality (Perry 23). The reader of the Epic is taken along a process with Gilgamesh involving detachment from death, fear of death, an explanation of why humans are mortal, a rejection, and finally acceptance, and the reader can apply the lessons learned from this myth to his or her own life. This is the main function of the myth – to address the issues that all human beings have wondered about since time immemorial (Leeming 4).

Although death is not the major focus in the Hymn to Demeter, this myth is very relevant to the process of reconciliation with death because of the Eleusinian mystery cult that was born through this myth. The mysteries that were celebrated by the cult, according to Walter Burkert, helped its members eliminate their fears relating to death, and also guaranteed them a better fate in the afterworld (350). In the Hymn, Demeter, the harvest goddess, prevents grain from growing on the earth for one year because her daughter Persephone is abducted and taken into the underworld to be the bride of Aidoneus. After Demeter was reunited with Persephone, “…she went to the kings who deal justice…and taught them how to conduct her rites and showed them all her mysteries as well – awful mysteries that none may pry into or utter or transgress in any way, for deep awe of the gods seals their lips” (Lord 364). The message in the Hymn is very clear here: those who take part in the Eleusinian mysteries must not reveal their secrets. The members of the cult followed this rule of secrecy very well. Additionally, the following is written: “Blessed is he among men on earth who has seen these mysteries, but those uninitiated, who have no part in them, do not prosper; once dead they waste away down in the dark gloom” (Lord 364). Historical records have shown that the Eleusinian cult festivities brought the cult members “happiness and comfort” (Burkert 347). The Eleusinian mysteries were so incredibly secretive that although some accounts of what may have happened exist, the best that one can do is conjecture about exactly what went on. A reader of this myth who lived from 600BC to 400AD might have read the quote above from the Hymn to Demeter about how those who have seen the mysteries do not waste away after death, and then perhaps joined the secret cult, and took part in the mysteries. Although the means of reconciling with death in the Hymn to Demeter and the Eleusinian mysteries are quite different than that in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the ends are the same. The reader is satisfied with the explanation given and the reader’s fear of death is eliminated.

The story of Osiris and Isis presents another way for the reader to reconcile him/herself with death: through the process of mummification, in the same manner as Osiris. The Osiris myth involves several Gods who are the result of an affair between an earth-god and a sky-goddess. Osiris and Isis are brother and sister, and husband and wife. Osiris’ brother, the god Set, becomes jealous of Osiris and kills him, but Isis eventually recovers the body. After the body is recovered, it is found by Set and cut into fourteen pieces and scattered about (Leeming 150). Isis yet again has to search for the body. Native Egyptian accounts suggest that after finding all of the various pieces of the body, Isis and her sister Nephthys utter a long lament and the gods Ra and Anubis assist in piecing together the body and observing other rites of passing and Osiris is miraculously resurrected (Leeming, 152) “In the resurrection of Osiris the Egyptians saw the pledge of a life everlasting for themselves beyond the grave. They believed that every man would live eternal in the other world if only his surviving friends did for his body what the gods had done for the body of Osiris” (Leeming 152). “It was because of the legend of Osiris that Egyptians believed they had the right to be transformed and to live in the afterlife” (Dunn). The myth of Osiris and Isis became so popular that from the middle kingdom onwards, those who were deceased were wrapped and lamented by friends and family, and the deceased were even referred to with “Osiris” as a prefix to their name (Leeming 152). The myth of Osiris and Isis presents the reader with a slightly different way of going about reconciling her/himself with the fear of death: since Osiris was able to be resurrected, anybody whose burial rites mimic what was done to Osiris would expect their souls to be “resurrected” in an afterlife. This myth presents the idea of an afterlife to the reader, and it is quite apparent that this story was well received by generations of Egyptians who can be found in museums across the world, mummified.

Mythology dealing with death has been used since the first written myth (The Epic of Gilgamesh) to help humans become reconciled with the mystery and fear of death. Each of the aforementioned myths presents the reader with a very interesting story involving a noble character with whom the reader can identify. This main character undergoes some journey, trial, dispute, or even death, and this ultimately helps the reader cope with the idea of mortality. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the reader is taken along a process with Gilgamesh which results in an eventual acceptance of the human condition (mortality). In the Hymn to Demeter, the reader encounters the prospect of taking part in the Eleusinian mysteries, which guarantee a positive afterlife experience. In reading the story of Osirus and Isis, the reader learns that he or she can live on, provided that their burial rites mimic those of Osiris. The burial and funeral rites of those Egyptians wanting to experience the afterlife must be taken care of by family and friends, directly mimicking what happened to Osiris. Although all three myths provide very different methods for helping to reconcile the reader with the idea of death, the end result is quite positive – the reader can concentrate on enjoying his or her life on Earth once s/he no longer has to worry about what happens after life ends.



Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph. Transformations of Myth Through Time. New York: HarperCollins, 1990.
Dunn, Jimmy. “Egyptian Mythology – Osiris Cult”. 1996. InterCity Oz. Accessed 9 October,
2003 <http://www.touregypt.net/Osiriscu.htm>.

Ferry, David. Gilgamesh: A New Rendering in English Verse. New York: Farrar, Straus, and
Giroux, 1993.

Leeming, David Adams. The World of Myth: An Anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1990.

Lord, et al., Transformations of Myth Through Time: An Anthology of Readings. Harcourt,
Brace, Jovanovich, 1990.

Perry, Marvin. Sources of the Western Tradition: From Ancient Times to the Enlightenment.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1999.

Weinstein, Melinda. “Class Notes.” Lawrence Technological University. 28 August, 2003.



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-- Jeff

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