Gilgamesh the King
Tundra · Paperback · April 25, 1998
Gilgamesh, half-god and half-man, in his loneliness and isolation becomes a cruel tyrant over the citizens of Uruk.
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- Who it’s for
- An ancient myth sets a lonely king’s power against the humanizing force of friendship.
- Themes
- Friendship and empathy, Loneliness and isolation, Tyranny and oppression
- Genres
- Myths & Fables, Ancient Civilizations
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: Ancient Civilizations.
The Revenge of IshtarLudmila Zeman74% matchAlso shares Myths & Fables
The Last Quest of GilgameshLudmila Zeman71% matchAlso shares Myths & Fables
A Way of His OwnThomas A. Dyer42% match
The Mcelderry Book of Greek MythsEric A. Kimmel49% match
The Gods and Goddesses of OlympusAliki48% match
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the WarEmily Little42% match
The OdysseyGillian Cross48% match
For older readers: The Book of Wonder, Time and the Gods, Myths of Babylon
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Gilgamesh, half-god and half-man, in his loneliness and isolation becomes a cruel tyrant over the citizens of Uruk. To impress them forever he orders a great wall to be built, driving his people to exhaustion and despair so that they cry to the Sun God for help. In answer, another kind of man, Enkidu, is sent to earth to live among the animals and learn kindness from them. He falls in love with Shamhat, a singer from the temple, and he follows her back to Uruk.
Continue reading
There, Enkidu, the “uncivilized” beast from the forest, shows the evil Gilgamesh through friendship what it means to be human.
Power and Kindness
An ancient myth sets a lonely king’s power against the humanizing force of friendship.
Come here for
- A meeting of myth, tyranny, and a forest-raised outsider
- Questions about what makes someone human
Expect
- A clear contrast between cruelty and kindness
- Friendship at the heart of a tale of change
Where it sits
| Myths & Fables | 88% |
|---|---|
| Ancient Civilizations | 77% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Historical Fiction
- Ancient Civilizations
- Myths & Fables
- Authors
- Ludmila Zeman
- Publisher
- Tundra
- Published
- April 25, 1998
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Friendship and empathy · Loneliness and isolation · Tyranny and oppression
- Reading lane
- Historical Fiction