I like reading myths from other cultures because they capture the familiar spirit of the Greek myths with new sets of heroes. Ancient Sumer’s Gilgamesh is no exception: our hero befriends a sidekick from the wilderness, journeys through forests to slay a deadly monster, grapples with a jealous goddess, and seeks the prize of eternal life. There’s even an ancient flood that shares more than a few similarities with the Biblical one. Editor N.K. Sanders also provides a lot of textual background in her introduction, padding out the Penguin edition since the myth itself is so short (60 pages).
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Where I Got It
Bought used at a local book sale, October 2012, making it one of the longest-running books in the stack.
I’ve never actually sat down and read this, which I feel so sad about. I need to get it and read it! Maybe I’ll finally get around to adding it to my collection!