Customer Reviews

The Archetypal Significance of Gilgamesh: A Modern Ancient Hero

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This is an interesting look at the significance of Gilgamesh in relation to other ancient literature. It includes a lot of insightful information on what different parts of the Epic represent in terms of the Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations. For the most part, she uses Alexander Heidel's translation of the epic for her observations. The only weakness of this book as far as I am concerned, is that it was put together after the author's death, and much of it is clearly based on her lectures. I think if she had a chance to organize her materials into book form, the result would have been even better. As it is, this is still a very good resource for those interested in learning more about the Gilgamesh epic.

A well-done book. I had read the Epic of Gilgamesh and always enjoyed it, but now that I am familar with the archetypical aspects I have a much greater understanding of the story. She makes many parallels to other myths which were helpful in a greater understanding. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the psychological aspects of myths and the Gilgamesh Epic in particular.