The desire for his wife was the force that kept Odysseus longing for his home in Ithaca. I’m sending you home (Homer V, 159-60).” The struggles he faces on his way home were not going to keep Odysseus from returning to his wife. You can stop grieving now and pining away. His eyes were perpetually wet with tears now, his life draining away in homesickness (Homer Book V, 150-52).” Calypso realized that his suffering was due to his homesickness and longing for his wife. While Odysseus was on the island with Calypso she would find “him sitting where the breakers rolled in. Penelope is Odysseus’ driving force as Enkidu was for Gilgamesh. Odysseus yearns to be home with his wife, his love for Penelope is everlasting and abounds far beyond his need for glory or fame. His wife and child await him but have given up hope of his return. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is trapped on an island trying to get home. It will be Enkidu’s death that sets Gilgamesh on his journey of self-discovery. The sense of being that was found through his friendship with Enkidu has been lost. His love for Enkidu becomes what guides him. He was willing to sacrifice anything to have his friend back. Following Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh set to walk through hell to bring back his best friend. After their struggle, “they kissed each other and made friends (Foster II, 115).” The love shared between Gilgamesh and Enkidu produced many trials and heartbreak for Gilgamesh. Commanded by Anu, Aruru “pinched off clay, she tossed it upon the steppe, she created valiant Enkidu in the steppe… (Foster I, 94-5).” Gilgamesh and Enkidu came to battle due to Gilgamesh’s lust for the brides.

“For Gilgamesh, king of ramparted Uruk, people’s veils are open for the taking! He mates with the lawful wife, he first, the groom after (Foster II,67-70).” A partner was created in hopes to tame the wildness of Gilgamesh and bring Uruk peace. He rules his city with an iron fist, works his people to death, and sleeps with all the women. He was born two-thirds divine and one-third human. The Epic of Gilgamesh depicts the main character, Gilgamesh, as “perfect in strength (Foster Tablet 1, line 36),’ but a brutish fellow who takes what he wants because he is the King of Uruk. In each epic lies the story of a man looking for his way driven by the love he shares with others, death and rebirth of the characters, and the consequences of the gods. The heroic characters of Gilgamesh and Odysseus present from two different time periods, but each share many attributes. Every culture has a representation of their heroes whether they are real or mythological.

Gilgamesh tavern keeper