Times Have Changed.....

My nice straight neighbor share this with me for his Lit class in college.

Enjoy

Question:  What kind of relationship did Gilgamesh have with Enkidu?

Claim:  Gilgamesh’s homosexual relationship with Enkidu turns him into a normal man.

      In the opening tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, we are introduced to Gilgamesh as “…the goring wild bull…” (1.28).  Nothing is more manly and heterosexual than the idea of the bull.  There is one bull to inseminate all the heifers with his big muscles and huge hanging testicles.  The horns on a bull are a phallic symbol and even more so to describe them as goring (tearing inside).  The idea of wanton sexuality is introduced by the bull.  Later in the text, Gilgamesh has a dream where he is told by Rimat-Ninsun, “The axe that you saw is a man, whom you love and embrace as a wife...” (1.259-60).  Men embrace their wives because they love them, it is a different type of embrace as they would give to another man or a friend.  The embrace is also an allegory to intimacy and sexual intercourse.  After fighting a short time, Gilgamesh and Enkidu are said to have, “… kissed each other and became friends” (2.72).  Some people might assume that the kiss might be the European peck on the cheek, but this text is from the Middle East and the custom there still continues with full tongue in mouth and lip to lip male to male contact as a kiss.

more info click here for Epic of Gilgamesh