The struggle of the hero against the sea monster: reception of orientalising motifs in the Greek world

This article is a comparative study of the theme of the hero’s struggle against the sea monster. On the one hand there is the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and the aquatic family of the sacred city of Eridu, and, on the other, the translation and actualisation of the theme through the trials or Labours of the Greek hero Heracles. Both worlds conceive the quest for Immortality through a journey to the Beyond. The heroic journey will have its destination in the sacred island of Dilmun on the Babylonian side and in the Garden of the Hesperides on the Greek side. Despite the similarities, there are also notable differences due to the religious conceptions of the two peoples.

Collection: Texts

Project: 10. Churches and religions in Europe.

Chronology: -

Scope: Secondary Education

Link: http://www.man.es/man/dam/jcr:d43dc6e3-98c5-4414-8e23-f360185125cf/man-bol-2006-2008-johnson.pdf

Resource type: pdf

Format: Texts

Owner: Arqueological National Museum of Spain (MAN) (Modernalia)

Abstract: This article is a comparative study of the theme of the hero's struggle against the sea monster. On the one hand there is the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and the aquatic family of the sacred city of Eridu, and, on the other, the translation and actualisation of the theme through the trials or Labours of the Greek hero Heracles. Both worlds conceive the quest for Immortality through a journey to the Beyond. The heroic journey will have its destination in the sacred island of Dilmun on the Babylonian side and in the Garden of the Hesperides on the Greek side. Despite the similarities, there are also notable differences due to the religious conceptions of the two peoples.