You now turn from the study of pure or divine myth to the heroic myth, saga, and legend. As an introduction to the study of heroic myth, you will study the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh.After this chapter you should:
- Know what is meant by "heroic" myth.
- Know something of the history and source of the epic of Gilgamesh.
- Know its major characters and events.
- Be able to talk about its principal themes.
- Be able to enumerate the key folktale motifs that commonly appear in heroic myth and how they are manifested in the epic of Gilgamesh.
