A king walked the earth long ago, in the land called the “Center of Civilization.” His name was Gilgamesh, two-thirds god and one-third human. He was powerful yet cruel, oppressing new brides on their wedding night while subjecting the men with hard labor.
The Kingdom of Uruk in Babylonia cried out to the gods for relief and they were heard. An equalizer was sent in the form of a wild man named Enkidu. Having fought together in a great battle, Gilgamesh and Enkidu decided to become band brothers rather than adversaries. And brothers they were! Great adventures they encountered. But slaying gods and beasts–the demi-god Humbaba and the “Bull of Heaven” Gugalanna– brought ire from their gods.
And Enkidu, his beloved brother was marked for death. Growing sickly, Enkidu fought for life until finally, relenting to die in peace, death enveloped him. The distraught King Gilgamesh grieved for the rest of his days; his life and his mission seemed to have ended when Enkidu’s was extinguished. He built a monument to remember his friend by until he could weep no more. Still trying to make sense of the pain, expressing his understanding of death, all he could say in poetic words were “…what awaits us all caught him first…”
It was because Gilgamesh himself was afraid of his own death, and deciding he wanted to escape it set out on a courageous journey in search for immortality. Forging on to the land where no man has ever set foot and come back alive he set his eyes on visiting the immortal Utnapishtim and his wife, the only survivors of the Great Flood and the only humans bestowed with the gift of immortality.
Gilgamesh finds the answers to his questions through the gentle girl Siduri. If one could choose a summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh, it might be this:
“Remember always, mighty king,
that gods decreed the fates of all
many years ago. They alone are let
to be eternal, while we frail humans die
as you yourself must someday do.
What is best for us to do
is now to sing and dance.
Relish warm food and cool drinks.
Cherish children to whom your love gives life.
Bathe easily in sweet, refreshing waters.
Play joyfully with your chosen wife.”
“It is the will of the gods for you to smile
on simple pleasure in the leisure time of your short days.” (Tablet 10, Column 3)
Because of her goodness Utnapishtim’s wife implored her husband to reward Gilgamesh with immortality, for his courage in undertaking the journey. So directions were given for a secret plant under the sea that could give unending youthfulness to the king.
Immortality now in his hands, the king decided to enjoy a cool bath in a pool. But a cunning snake slithered toward him and stole the plant away. Gilgamesh, discovering his idiocy, wept:
For whom have I labored? For whom have I journeyed?
For whom have I suffered?
I have gained absolutely nothing for myself,
I have only profited the snake, the ground lion! (Tablet 11, Column 6)
And once again man becomes a sojourner without answers.
This story is now immortalized as the Epic of Gilgamesh, passed on from generation to generation in the land of Mespotamia. Presently, used in numerous motion picture plots and countless tales on paperback, it reflects man’s search for the philosophical question of life, “Is this the common fate of mankind?”
Though dismal its tone may be, the Epic of Gilgamesh has been hailed as the epic of all epics. Alexander the Great’s myths and adventures in Syrian culture are said to have been influenced by this very epic. (Wikipedia, The Epic of Gilgamesh)
But where do kings and kingdoms come from?
I quote Conrado de Quiros, “No stories. No history.”
Though civilization in our islands are not as old as Mesopotamia, we do not have a drought of stories of kings and kingdoms that ruled our land.
For kings and kingdoms are only as great as the stories they commit to the mind and heart.
This is Hinilawod. The learned-by-heart, 28,340 verse narrative of our ancient civilization of the Sulod Nation in Panay. An almost forgotten past of our once glorious culture.
For Gilgamesh may be about courage but Hinilawod is about honor. Gilgamesh may be about the man’s common fate of futility but Hinilawod is about triumph.Gilgamesh belongs to Mesopotamia. Hinilawod belongs to every Filipino.
This is our epic of epics.Watch our very own epic of Hinilawod on Aug. 23 and 24 at the Luce Auditorium; and on Sept. 3 and 4 at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines in Manila. For details, you may call 0927-478-0487, 0922-257-7595
