A Look at the Similarities of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Pearl Song and ManichaeanTexts

Abstract

Introduction

The Epic of Gilgamesh (2100 BC) and the Anthem of Pearls (between 50 and 70 AD) are two precious human works that seem to have many similarities, although one is a form of Epic literature and the other contains Gnostic (mystical) content. In this research, these two ancient texts, namely the Epic of Gilgamesh and the hymn Gnostic of the pearl, have been chosen for comparison. The first text belongs to Mesopotamia and the other text basically belongs to the Parthian-Iranians; But the main concept raised in these two works is the concern that has occupied the minds of all the people of the world and that is the desire for immortality. If we think about these two works, we can see that Gilgamesh makes a difficult journey for himself in order to escape death, and the prince of the pearl anthem party also goes on a very difficult journey to get the pearl (immortal soul). The same view prevails in Manichaean texts. In the belief of the Manichaeans, we face Hormazdbagh (the fate of humans) who must travel to the darkness or the land of the devil and intermingle with it to provide the means for the ultimate defeat of the devil and
 bring the immortality of the soul that is trapped by the minoy (soul) of darkness.
Among these (Epic of Gilgamesh, Anthem of Pearls and Manichaeism), there are several commonalities that connect them: the existence of the Mother Goddess, Le double, going to darkness, a misleading female, a deceptive father and daughter, rescuing sailors, awakeners and... that we try let's report these cases and thus reveal this point: Mani, who himself lived in Mesopotamia, on the one hand inherited the ancient ideas of this geography, especially Gnostic beliefs, and on the other hand, apparently through his mother, who was a Parthian princess, with Parties and their intellectual heritage are connected. So, it is obvious that his thoughts and beliefs are connected with the Epic of Gilgamshe bin al-Nahrin and with the anthem of the pearl, which basically belonged to the Parthians. We should not forget that, especially during the Arsacids era, there were very close cultural connections (religious, linguistic, commercial, art and architecture) between the Parthians and Mesopotamia (cf. Wiedengren, 2017); Therefore, it is natural for Mani, raised in the Parthian era, to be influenced by this integrated culture and benefit from it.
 

Methodology

In this comparative-analytical research, we will first compare two texts, one with an Epic structure, Gilgamesh, and the other, the Anthem of Pearls, which is a Gnostic (mystical) text, and we will try to find the common themes of these two texts, which are different in form; But they have similarities in content, let's describe. After that, we will find these common features in the beliefs and thoughts of the Manichaeans, paying attention to the Manichaean texts, and analyze them.
 

Discussion

3-1. The fullness of the role of the mother: a short review in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the anthem of pearls and Manichaean texts will show us that "mother" has an impressive and outstanding role in these texts. Rishat, Gilgamesh's mother, is the one who gives Gilgamesh the good news of Enkidu's arrival. Also, he ensures the safety of Gilgamesh and Enkidu before they both go to the Cedar Forest. He asks the Titan to protect Gilgamesh. In the anthem of pearl, before the prince goes to Egypt, his mother (Queen of the East) sends him away. In Manichaean texts, before the first human being (Hormazdebagh) goes to the land of darkness, the mother of life/umm-e-hayat/Bahjat (Mādar ī zīndagān) puts her hand on his head and sends him to war.
3.2. The anthropomorphism of the princes: Gilgamesh, the prince, is a hero like a god, which is only one-third of his being is suitable for humans; But it is this small part of humanity that prevents Gilgamesh from reaching immortality. Just when Utnapishtim asks him not to sleep for six days and six nights, he puts him to sleep. Even after they give him the plant of immortality, he is unable to keep it. He sees a "piece of earth" just when he should be protecting the life-giving plant. There, he indulges in pleasure and immersion in water, and the snake, steals the plant that gives immortality. The Parthian prince of the anthem of the pearl, is also similar to the gods. Like Gilgamesh, he is a human god. Partian prince can be compared to Gilgamesh, who both fall into sleep, drunkenness and forgetfulness and forget their godly origin. In manichaeism, there is also talk about the soul in the prison of a person, which is reminiscent of Gilgamesh and the Prince of Parthia. This trapped spirit in the Manichaean texts, like those two, is a prince who falls into darkness. He is a representation of a human being who, despite his precious soul, is trapped in the body and the world.
3.3. The outstanding role of le double: One of the similar aspects of Le double in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Anthem of Pearls is the presence of Le double, which attracts attention in Manichaeism. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see that Enkidu appears next to Gilgamesh as a twin and helps him. The Parthian prince also speaks of a "great-grandson" who is his "own" and has joined him. It seems that he is the twin who keeps the prince away from the material world and the impure people in the world. Mani also claims that at the age of twelve, an angel named At-taûm, which in Aramaic means companion and comrade, was sent to him for the first time, and after he appeared to Mani at the age of twenty-four He has fought with greed and devil. It is obvious that after getting to know and meeting his le double, Mani basically undergoes a transformation in his life that makes him different from before.
3.4. Rushing to the land of darkness: After meeting Enkidu, the first thing Gilgamesh does, is rush to the cedar forest, where Enlil, the god of the soil and the land, has placed Khumbaba, a scary demon, as a guard. Gilgamesh and Enkidu attack the land of demonic Khumbaba and after enduring many sufferings, they finally kill Khumbaba. The Parthian prince also goes from the east (the place of light) to the west (the land of darkness). In Manichaean, Hormazdbagh with his five children (Forohar, Wind, Roshni, Water, Fire) rushes towards Shahriar of darkness.
3.5. Devil dragon like lion: In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Khumbaba is the embodiment of evil; Thus, a demonic image of him is presented: “They saw Khumbaba coming. He had paws like a lion, his body was covered with bronze scaley. His legs were the claws of a vulture. On his head were the horns of a wild bull. The tail and his combination organ  ended with the head of the snake" (Gilgamesh, 2012: 48). In the anthem of the pearl, it is only mentioned about the dragon that took the pearl of the soul. The possession of the pearl by the dragon is reminiscent of the abduction of the life-giving plant by the snake in the Gilgamesh Epic; The Shahriar of the dark world (dragon/serpent/matter), steals the soul. In Manichaeism, "the Shahriar of the world of darkness is the dragon"; But in some places of the Manichaean texts, the face of Devil is drawn more precisely, which is close to what we see from Khumbaba's face; A combination of lion, snake, fish, eagle/vulture.
3.6. Shahriar off the war clothes and putting the crown on his head: Gilgamesh, after returning from the war with Khumbaba and killing him, while washing himself and his war tools and combing his hair, "threw his dirty clothes on the ground and put on clean clothes" (Gilgamesh, 2012). : 51). According to Rosenberg's narrative, he also wears a crown (Epic of Gilgamesh, 1389: 59). In the Anthem of Pearls, when the parents of Parthian prince want to send him to Egypt, they take off his clothes (a sign of physicality).  Also in the Manichaean texts, The Manichaeans use interpretations about Mani's death that are very similar to what we saw about Gilgamesh and the Prince of Parthia. The Manichaeans compare him To Shahriar, who has taken off his dirty war clothes and is wearing a royal robe and wearing a crown.
3.7. Seductive female: It should be mentioned the presence of Ishtar, who was constantly in his temple before Gilgamesh met Enkidu (Le double) (Gilgamesh, 2012: 27). Just before confronting Enkidu, we see him in a bed that was spread for Ishtar to sleep with (r.k. ibid.: 31). Ishtar constantly calls Gilgamesh to her. In the anthem of the pearl, we do not see any mention of the seductive woman, and it seems that she has given her place to the delicious stews that the prince of the party is seduced by. In Manichaean, the feminine gender is not a desirable element and  the Manichaeans are constantly called to stay away from women, along with meat and wine; But it seems that these worldly desires are also tools for liberation.
3.8 Father and daughter: In Gilgamesh Epic, which is about daughter and father; Ishtar, the goddess of love and her father, Anu, after Gilgamesh does not respond to Ishtar's request for love, Ishtar asks Anu to punish him. Ano also fulfills his daughter's wish. In Manichaeism, we also see a father and a daughter: Murdiyānag and Ašaqlūn. This daughter and father have demonic behavior against humanity; Just as Anu and Ishtar are trying against Gilgamesh and of course the people.
3.9. The boatmen and reaching the anchorage of salvation: Gilgamesh, guided by Sidori Sabito, to reach Utnapishtim, "the blessed one who found life" and destroy the "demons of death" and lock the gate of death that those demons own(p..K: Gilgamesh, 2012: 90), in search of Orshanabi, the boatman of Utnapishtim, comes "to take him safely through the sea and the waters of death" (ibid.: 84). In the anthem of the pearl, the prince of Parthia does not use a ship or a boat to reach the pearl that is in the hands of the dragon in the sea, or maybe it is not mentioned in the text; However, in the Manichaean texts, there is a lot of talk about "escaping from the sea of ​​this world and reaching the anchorage of salvation" (cf. Klimkait, 2014: 60). What Orshanabi does to save Gilgamesh (bringing him to utnapishtim by crossing the deadly waters and then obtaining the life-giving plant), according to a Manichaean text, Mehraizd reaches it for the "men of the true religion". Obviously, in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Manichaean text, we see the existence of a savior (Orshanabi and Mehrizad), the sea and water, a ship, an anchor of salvation (the land of peace/bright heaven) and a saving plant.
3-10. Awakeners: In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim informs Gilgamesh of his being a man-god, his combinational existence between spirit and matter. In the anthem of pearl, the "letter" that takes the form of an eagle plays a role in awakening the prince; But in Manichaeam, this role is entrusted to the shining Jesus.
3.11. The Titans: Gilgamesh at the end of the Epic, is a Shahriar who shines like the sun in the "shining hall of the palace". The prince of Parthia, like the sun, goes from the east to the west (Egypt). In one of the Manichaean psalms, Mani is called "the sun" and the Manichaeans are asked to honor him.
3.12. Not harming animals: In the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see in Enkidu's actions a way of guarding animals. He tries to keep the hunter from harming the animals. In Manichaeism, he is ordered to avoid harming and killing living beings, even those that are predatory and poisonous. Considering the similarities we have seen before between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the beliefs of Manichaeism, in The case of not harming animals can also be said that Manichaean was probably influenced by the Epic of Gilgamesh.
 
4.Conclusion
With a short pause in what we have left behind, we come to the point that Gilgamesh's Epic seems to be the first work that many years before the spread of Gnostic ideas, reflects these beliefs (which later had many fans in Mesopotamia, such that Mani and his family also influences it in Babylon); Because everything that comes from these thoughts in this work was given in the Anthem of the Pearl and later, the Manichaean texts. The main similarities of these three are: 1) the existence of a mother goddess who plays a prominent role in the upliftment of the child. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Rishat, and in the anthem of the pearl, nameless mother and in the manicheaem, the mother of life; 2) In all three, we see a human-god with the title of Shahriar and prince who is trapped in a piece of land (Egypt/West) and forgets his supreme gem and then sink in the depth of the sea (the world) in search of a pearl/rejuvenating plant (spirit) and Finally, he has found it; 3) in all three, we see the existence of a le double(Enkidu, the twin of Gilgamesh, a good-looking chivalrous with the prince of Parthian, and Narjamig, the le double of Mani) whose physical life has been transformed into a spiritual life after the hero's encounter with him; 4) Gilgamesh in the Mesopotamian Epic, the Parthian prince in the Anthem of Pearls and the living soul in Manichaeaism, all three descend to the land of darkness (Cedar forest, Egypt and Devil's Abyss or the same body and world); Because reaching the light passes through the path of darkness; 5) in all three, an evil being tries to take possession of the hero's soul; In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Khumbaba and later the snake who steals the immortality plant from Gilgamesh, in the anthem of the pearl, the dragon, he holds it in his hand, and in Manichaean, Devil dragon like lion; 6) In all three, the hero covers the soul with a garment and after going through the treading, frees the soul from that garment and wears the royal crown of the soul; 7) The presence of a misleading female or forgettable good food, causes the hero to go astray. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see Ishtar and later Sidori Sabito, and in the anthem of pearls, the delicious food of the Egyptians. In Manichaeasim, woman is not a desirable element; But it is a secret of the world that in order to refine and exalt the light/soul, one must go through that darkness;8) The presence of an evil father and daughter, who harm the hero. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar and Anu seek revenge against Gilgamesh, and in Manichaeism, Mordianag and Ashkelon seek to deceive Gehmord and hurt him; 9) We also see the existence of rescue boatmen. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Orshanabi and in Manichaeismh, sometimes Mehrizad and sometimes the first man or Mani and Jesus have the duty to bring people to the bright paradise or the anchorage of peace; 10) In all three, there are awakeners who make the hero aware of the truth of the essence of their existence. In the Epic of Gilgamesh utnapishtim, in the anthem of the Pearl, the letter which takes the form of an eagle, and in Manichaeism, the shining Jesus;
11) The hero in all three is associated with the sun. Shamash,the Titan, is the supporter of Gilgamesh, the prince of Parthia, as the sun goes from east to west, and Mani is considered the sun. The sun is a symbol of the soul and immortality; 12) We see not harming animals in Enkidu's character; The same thing that the Manichaeans have emphasized a lot.Keywords: the epic of Gilgamesh, the Pearl's Song, Mani, Manichaean