Have you read The Epic of Gilgamesh?

[Orrex]

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. I know a classical scholar who's read it.

She dismisses it as trash in the same way that average people would dismiss a trashy romance novel or a Dean Koontz horror novel as trash.

[rurallib]

19. And really, who would ever challenge her?

The chances of her running into someone else who has actually read it are about 7 billion to one by my estimate.

[trof]

2. No. What's it about?

[baldguy]

12. Temba, his arms wide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukMNfTnI5M8

[justabob]

3. I've read it

both in high school and college.

[nemo137]

4. Same, it's part of the standard "Western Lit" class.

I liked the translation we read in high school better, though.

[justabob]

7. yeah, I think it was western civ for me

but same difference. I used the same book for both. I even still have it, or I did until I loaned it to a friend a few months ago.

[nemo137]

20. Oh, I hear that.

I lose more damn books that way...

[jobycom]

5. I read it. I don't remember much of it.

Had a nice beat, but you couldn't dance to it.

[BreweryYardRat]

Yeah. n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Read it in college in a world lit class.

I vaguely remember a character called Enkidu.

[JTG of the PRB]

8. It's the classic tale of the first bromance.

Enkidu completed Gilgamesh. If Gilgamesh was Kirk, then Enkidu would have been Spock... Except that Gilgamesh was a king, and Enkidu was a savage wild man.

Pretty much the same thing though, right?

[DeepBlueC]

9. If anyone asks, I say 'yes'

because I have...had to.

[baldguy]

10. Read a few years ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Gilgamesh-Stephan-Grundy/dp/0380975742/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259976515&sr=1-36

Sitting on my shelf.

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.

[hobbit709]

13. The ancient Hebrews filed off the serial numbers

and used parts of it as the story of Noah and the flood.

[pokerfan]

14. Yes

And now you can too!

Gilgamesh.
Was a king.
At Uruk.
He tormented his subjects.
He drove them to anger.
They cried out, "Give our king a companion.
Spare us his madness."

Enkidu.
A wildman.
Of the forest.
Entered the city.
They fought in the temple.
They fought in the street.
Gilgamesh defeated Enkidu.
They became friends.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
At Uruk.

The new friends went into the desert,
where the Great Bull of Heaven
was killing men by the hundreds.
Enkidu caught it by the tail,
Gilgamesh struck it with his sword.

They were victorious.
But Enkidu fell to the ground.
Struck down by the gods...

And Gilgamesh wept bitter tears, saying,
"He who was my companion through adventure and hardships,
is gone forever."

Now you have read The Epic of Gilgamesh.

[Orrex]

15. That seems more like The Summary of Gilgamesh

Sumery is fine, but summary? Nah.

[pokerfan]

17. That was Picard's metaphoric version

[Orrex]

18. Yeah, but I kind of can't stand that episode.

:shrug:

[Odin2005]

16. I read it for a mythology class in high school. It's a really good story.