Observations placeholder
Mircea Eliade discusses the Epic of Gilgamesh
Identifier
001811
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Patterns in Comparative Religion – Mircea Eliade
Gilgamesh comes upon a miraculous tree in a garden, and near it the divinity Siduri – the maiden – described as sabitu, that is the 'woman with the wine'. Autran indeed explains this as meaning that Gilgamesh meets her beside a vine; in the near East, the vine was identified with the 'herb of life' and the Sumerian sign for life was originally a vine leaf. This wonderful plant was sacred to the Great Goddesses. The Mother Goddess was at first called 'the mother vine', or the 'goddess vine'. Albright has proved that in primitive versions of the Gilgamesh legend, Siduri held a more important place. Gilgamesh asks immortality of her directly. …..Siduri had the appearance of a young girl, wore a veil, carried bunches of grapes and dwelt in the place from whence the four springs came;
The source of the experience
Epic of Gilgamesh, theConcepts, symbols and science items
Concepts
Symbols
Cardinal directionsGrapes
Leaf
Mother and Father
Rivers and streams
Tree of life
Veil
Vine
Wine