Once upon a time I was a boy, and I went to school. Although I had other ideas, my parents insisted that I study. And so, after a few spankings and other such humbling persuasions, I did. What was my reward? I learned to love to read.
As is my habit these days, I listen to recorded books as I commute to work. Having made myself a captive of Washington area traffic, I make the best of the situation and listen educational literature.
Sometimes I listen to works I have not read since high school. Late in adolescence, my English teacher introduced me to the epic poem, Beowulf. Beowulf, a relic from the Dark Ages, is one of the oldest surviving pieces of old Anglo-Saxon literature. The poem recounts the life and grim adventures its title character, centering on his battles with two demonic beings and the dragon who finally slays him.
Although Beowulf is a tale that comes to us from pre-Christian Europe, the tale has be Christianized. Beowulf acknowledges his strength as gift from God, and Beowulf’s character is largely in accord with Christian nobility. Perhaps it is true that Beowulf craves fame and for glory, but none of us can have pure motives. All we can do is what Beowulf did, choose to fight for the good of others.
Sometimes I listen to works I have not heard of before. Having enjoyed listening to one epic poem, I decided upon another. So it is that I encountered Gilgamesh, one of earliest of the known literary works. Gilgamesh, a tale from the Sumerian region circa 700 BCE (the central character, see here, lived about 2700 BCE), provides an insight into the minds pre-Christian idol worshipers. What qualities did these people admire. What values did the people the ancient Israelites encountered uphold?
Whereas Beowulf is story about bravery and loyalty, Gilgamesh is story about Gilgamesh’s friendship with Enkidu and his futile search for immortality. Whereas Beowulf fights for the good of others, Gilgamesh fights for himself.
The difference in the values that each work promotes is perhaps best explained by the “taming” of Enkidu. Enkidu enters the Gilgamesh epic as an uncivilized wild man. “Wise” Gilgamesh gives the task of taming Enkidu to the most renowned of his city’s temple prostitutes. This charming-lady succeeds in seducing Enkidu. After several days of athletic sex, Enkidu is “tamed.” Suddenly, Enkidu can speak. Enkidu’s former friends and companions, the wild beasts, will no longer go near him. Such is how the writer of Gilgamesh defined a civilized man.
The hero of Beowulf, on the other hand, is noble in bearing, polite in speech, and respectful of the rights of others. Such is how the writer of Beowulf defined a civilized man.
When I first picked up Gilgamesh, I was astonished by its age, and I wondered why I had never heard of it before. As I read it, I quickly began to understand. There was a time that parents understood that literature such as Gilgamesh had to be read from a certain perspective, if read at all. As parents, our first task is to instill Christian values in our children. Our second task is to help our children understand that all people do not share Christian values.
I tried listening to “books on tape” once but it didn’t work out for me. I think the problem was that the book that I chose was “Where’s Waldo?”. An hour and a half of Alec Bladwin saying, “Policeman, Grocery Store Manager, Girl on a Bike, Lady Pushing a Baby Carriage, Waldo, Old Man Getting on a Bus, Little Boy with his Dog…”
LOL!