Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Sitting in a Tree?

Even though Gilgamesh and Enkidu kissed after meeting one another, there is not enough evidence that the two manly men were homosexual lovers as Jacobsen initially suggested. Although it is evident that they did love one another with all their hugging and loyalty to one another, this love shouldn’t be described as homosexual. This sort of love can be characterized as more of a companion love (for example the love between a boy and his dog).

One must look at the entire point of the story for the reason why the great king loved his friend in a non-homosexual manner. At the start, Gilgamesh seemed to be an untamed child rather than a king as he raped any women (in the Andrew George translation of the epic, there is no mention of him raping men) and killed any person that got in his way. This all changed once he met his match, Enkidu. Once they became friends, Gilgamesh quickly forgot his old ways and decided to have adventures with his newfound friend. Their equality (although not perfect, as Gilgamesh was still the superior been) allowed Gilgamesh to see Enkidu as a true friend. There is no mention of any homosexual actions between the two in the epic, and the real reason why Gilgamesh was so distraught by Enkidu’s death was because he came to realize that if such a great human as his friend could die, then he could too.

The Epic of Gilgamesh seems to be a moral lesson of having too much pride and should not be confused with any themes of homosexuality. With all of it’s straight to the point passages, the text would have stated directly if the two great men ever had sex, or any homosexual feelings towards one another. However, one must keep in mind that there are different translations of the epic, and there might be more details still hidden from readers in some secret undiscovered tomb or room. However, until then, Jacobsen rightfully retracted his initial conclusion of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s supposed sexuality.