Homosexuality in the Epic

In Harris’ article, Images of Women in the Gilgamesh Epic, Harris examines the role of the female characters in the play and how they function in the epic. One interesting point Harris includes is the relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. As Thorkild Johnson says, “throughout the epic the relationship with Enkidu competes with, and replaces marriage.” (228) Such a curious topic, especially when we consider the age of the epic, so I was surprised Harris concluded the reasoning as just for the comic relief by social inversion. I believe the epic included this relationship to show the true love occurring between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Although Gilgamesh’s mother adds Enkidu to the family as a brother, the love Gilgamesh and Enkidu have for each other seems to be more than just familial love. They embrace each other, kiss, and care for each other. Although they are companions in battle, they are also sentimentally attached. When Gilgamesh first starts having the symbolic dreams of Enkidu, Ninsun tells him about his companion saying, “like a wife you’ll love him, caress and embrace him.” (Gilgamesh 11) This phrase may be stating the true relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh may have not just been mourning for the loss of a brother but also for the loss of a soulmate.

Ishtar possessed some romantic interest in Gilgamesh, but he denied her for the reasoning that she did not treat her lovers well. However, there could be an underlying reason. Harris states, “theirs was then a reversal of normal societal relation, which potentially undermined the continuity and stability of the family.” (229) The only romantic/sexual interests Gilgamesh and Enkidu have are the women Gilgamesh sleeps with before their husbands and Shamhat, who Enkidu makes love to. However, both of these events occur before Gilgamesh and Enkidu meet each other.

All in all, it seems that the author(s) of Epic of Gilgamesh created a relationship of this manner of Gilgamesh and Enkidu to show true love between the two men.