Paper Topic:

the research on hero motif for `Hero and Religion` class

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Gilgamesh and Enkidu Vs . Luke and Han Solo

The Hero and The Anti-hero 's Journey

What makes a hero ? According to the Germanic heroic code a hero embodies certain qualities such as exhibiting great strength , courage and loyalty in warriors . The hero must also practice hospitality and be generous . The Germanic hero code also valued great political skill in kings and a good reputation their people . When the reader sets down to read the Gilgamesh Epic they assume that Gilgamesh 's name being in the

br title means he will be the first hero they encounter about but what quickly becomes apparent is that he is not the only hero of the epic Enkidu is as heroic as Gilgamesh and in some instances closer to the heroic ideal . Gilgamesh and Enkidu are the hero and anti-hero of the Gilgamesh Epic and much like Luke and Han Solo in Star Wars are heroic rivals . Gilgamesh and Enkidu both follow the heroic code which means the hero must be strong , intelligent , and courageous and the hero must be willing to face any odds , and fight to the death but the most important aspect of the hero is the transforming journey . Joseph Campbell writes in The Hero with a Thousand Faces that a hero 's journey consists of three stages Departure , Initiation , and Return ( Campbell Enkidu and Gilgamesh in the Gilgamesh Epic , like Luke and Han in Star Wars , follow Campbell 's stages of a heroic journey from leaving a lackluster life then traveling through the tests and trials until they finally return victorious

According to Campbell 's book The Hero with a Thousand Faces we can summarize the hero 's journey into three main stages : Departure Initiation , and Return . In the Departure element of a story the mythological hero , setting forth from his common day hut or castle , is lured , carried away , or else voluntarily proceeds , to the threshold of adventure . There he encounters a shadow presence that guards the passage . The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle , dragon-battle offering charm , or be slain by the opponent and descend in death (Campbell For Enkidu the Departure stage of the heroic journey begins in the First Tablet of the epic when a trapper 's son is checking on traps in the forest and discovers Enkidu running naked with the wild animals . Enkidu is living a simple and primitive life but displaying great potential When his great strength is witnessed the son rushes home to his father with the news . The father advises him to go into the city and take one of the temple harlots , Shamhat , with him to the forest . If he submits to her , the trapper says , he will lose his strength and his wildness Shamhat meets Enkidu and offers herself to him and he submits , instantly losing his strength and wildness , but he gains understanding and knowledge . Shamhat offers to take him into the city with...

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