“Epic of Gilgameš” is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. Gilgameš (in akkadū), or Bilgameš (in eme-ĝir15), was the fifth king of Uruk/Unug I around BC2600. He was originally from Sumer but his legend is abundantly preserved in akkadū clay tablets in later ages. He was said to foresee all over the world, to experience everything, to be the master of wisdom, or to peep the abyss. He had intense emotions, and was a hero and a tyrant of the city. EN.KI.DU3 calmed him down and he became a beloved king. He adventured quite a lot in his legend and finally he lost a plant of immortality he had managed to found. He realized he unreached to immortality then. This type of story is a prototype of many ancient legends. The Matter of Britain is also a type of this kind, including the quest of Holy Grail. In the ancient and medieval tales, journeys were introduced to realize desires to visualize metaphysical values. A matter that everyone seeks turns out to be reachable to no one, and this is a typical story of the ages. However, Gilgameš came back from the world of subjectivity and individuality and retained the order in his kingdom, in contrast to the Matter of Britain that ended up in the fall of kingdom. Social aspects of the king was thus enforced in the case of Gilgameš. Although nothing is clear for the character of Gilgameš itself, his legend became a prototype of various legends in the later ages.
