Or how old is the myth of Narcissus? In the epic, Gilgamesh is described as an oppressive, arrogant and tyrannical ruler. Two-thirds a god and one-third a human, the son of king Lugalbanda and goddess Ninsuna, he has a super-human kind of strenght.
The gods create Enkidu to moderate the king's excesses and they end up befriending each other.
However, that fact alone becomes Enkidu's future disgrace.
They both kill Humbaba, turn the forest into a desert and anger the gods. They will both also kill the celestial bull sent by Anu (supreme sumerian god) to cause great devastation, as a revenge for the rejection of the love goddess Inana by Gilgamesh.
The gods decide Enkidu will die and he becomes severely ill. After his mirror and loyal friend dies (because of him), Gilgamesh instead of mourning his friend launches himself on an endeavour to try and become immortal! Talk about narcissistic traits.
Utnapishtim, the only survivor of a great flood that wiped out all humanity, tells Gilgamesh about a plant growing underwater, in the sea, which will grant him immortality... He can get the plant, however a serpent steals it from him (his own vanity?) - the Sumerians believed that snakes shed their skin because they are immortal. He then returns to Uruk where he finds his incredible lasting work: the great walls ...Another type of mirror?
Photo: © Angelo Bozac, Gilgamesh
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