illustrator
Gilgamesch
Gilgamesch war der sagenhafte König der sumerischen Stadt Uruk und laut Epos zu einem Drittel Mensch und zu zwei Dritteln Gott. Das Epos erzählt von seinen Heldentaten und der Freundschaft zu dem von der Göttin Aruru erschaffenen Tiermenschen Enkidu. Dabei geht es um die ewigen Themen menschlichen Daseins - das Ringen mit Natur, Macht, Liebe und die Erkenntnis der eigenen Endlichkeit. Seine verzweifelte Suche nach dem Stoff, der Unsterblichkeit verleiht, ist damit eine faszinierende Auseinandersetzung menschlicher Urängste.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is probably the oldest epic in world history. It was written over 3800 years ago in Babylonia and only came to light at the beginning of the 20th century from the rubble of ancient Nineveh in fragments of the cuneiform library of King Ashurbunipal. The Epic of Gilgamesh anticipates many motifs from Greek myths and biblical themes. We encounter the Flood as well as the Tower of Babel. The Minotaur, the god of the gods, appears, but the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice also echoes. We hear about the snake in paradise and the journey through Hades to the underworld. At the center of this epic are the great questions of our existence: man in conflict with God, the question of life and death, the fear of the end of the world, man's quest for immortality - themes that have retained their relevance.
Walter Jonas created this poem in 1943 when he was 33 years old – in the middle of the Second World War. The work was inspired by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, with whom Jonas was working at the time.
Text and plates:
das-gilgamesch-epos---walter-jonas.pdf [1’590 KB]
