Abusch, T., 1986, Ishtar’s Proposal and Gilgamesh’s Refusal: An Interpretation of The Gilgamesh Epic, Tablet 6, Lines 1-79, History of Religions 26, 143-87; Abusch, T., 2001, The Development and Meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh: An Interpretive Essay, JAOS 121, 614-622 11Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing t ... View more. In Gilgamesh, Ea tells Utnapishtim to “tear down his house and build a boat, abandon possessions and look for life.” In … ©Copyright 2019, Society of Biblical Literature In both The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible, a flood takes place. city of Erech, who was undoubtedly a historical figure who later became in epic and legend the hero par excellence. The main character in the epic is Gilgamesh. The region of Asia Minor, including modern Turkey, location of the Hittite Empire and Hittite-Luwian languages. GILGAMESH gĭl gă’ mĕsh; the name of a legendary king of the Sumer. Bibliography: Gilgamesh and the Bible. In the Epic, the gods create Enkidu, who runs wild with the animals in the open country, as a companion for Gilgamesh. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘Yo ... View more, 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.24Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.25When th ... View more, 7Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do.8Let your garments always be white; do not ... View more, 5Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.6He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I dreamed.7There we were, b ... View more, 22Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of li ... View more. Tablets containing the full story, however, date to approximately 650 BC, or well after the Genesis account (c. 1450—1410 BC). Abraham was an important character in the book of Genesis. he figures as the central character in a great many poetic myths: Gilgamesh and Agga of Kish, Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh and the Land of the Living, Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Nether World and others. Tablet III: Enkidu and Gilgamesh go to battle the monster Huwawa, make preparations for the combat and set forth. … This story is also packed with symbolism and metaphors that can be related to many life lessons. [cited 23 Dec 2020]. Whatever he may achieve, it is only wind” (Yale Tablet, Old Babylonian Version). Gilgamesh. The flood in both stories destroys all mankind. A West Semitic language, in which most of the Hebrew Bible is written except for parts of Daniel and Ezra. The Wickedness of Humankind1When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,2the sons of God saw that they were fair; ... View more, The First Sin and Its Punishment1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. Gilgamesh brings to life simile, or similarities, of other great literary works such as our great Christian Bible and the works of Zecharia Sitchin. Likewise, the idea that it is mortality—the impetus behind Gilgamesh’s quest—that separates gods and humans is found in other Mesopotamian and Egyptian writings, as well as in Gen 3:22. Second, two men, Utnapishtim of the epic of Gilgamesh and Noah of Genesis, are chosen to be saved from the flood and given instruction on how to survive. However, he came about these building projects by forced labor. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind. In Wirklichkeit war es die Flut des Utnapishtim, von der auf der elften Tafel erzählt wird. Talking about myth in the Bible is not always easy because myth has the connotation, for many, of being something that’s diametrically opposed to something that’s true. It was as the great hero and personification of the human condition in the cuneiform lit. He is an extremely powerful and beautiful man, created by the gods.    |    Terms of Use Shawna Dolansky is Associate Professor of Religion and Humanities in the College of the Humanities at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. The flood in both stories destroys most of mankind. In Gilgamesh, Enlil is disturbed by man’s clamor and uproar. Gilgamesh is warned that Enkidu can be foiled by a prostitute. from an Old Sumer. Knowing something about ancient Near Eastern history and culture will deepen the historical understanding of the documents that compose the Hebrew Bible. Babylon was one of the most important political, religious, and cultural centers of ancient Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq. In the Bible, God creates Adam, who is the first man on Earth. Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s best friend, is created by the goddess Aruru. The story centers on the friendship … In the heroic poem of Gilgamesh the Gods decided to destruct world by deluging Earth for six yearss and darks. In both stories, a woman is responsible for the transition of a man who had once eaten and drunk with the animals to a state of estrangement from nature. To learn more about Gilgamesh, see this article on the Ancient History Encyclopedia website. The first half of the story discusses Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to stop Gilgamesh from oppressing the people of Uruk. These Chaldean tablets, from the city of Ur (modern-day southern Iraq), describe how the Babylonian God Ea decided to end all life except for the ark dwellers … In both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible a common event takes place, a flood. Many similar events exist in the two accounts, and this paper seeks to explore such in regards to some of the stylistic devices employed. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the Bull. - The ark: The design of the ark as given in the Bible is uniquely suited for a large vessel in rough waters. A Mesopotamian king from ~2500 B.C.E. Gilgamesh vs. Genesis In our society, which is overwhelmingly Judeo-Christian, students often find it difficult to compare Bible stories with tales from other cultures, because our own belief system is wrapped up in the prior, and it is hard for many of us to go against our traditional faith to evaluate them objectively. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one such mythology. Tablet X: Gilgamesh continues his wanderings and carries on dialogues with various mythological characters about the nature of mortality. ; he became the hero of a major epic poem and was addressed as a deity in later religious texts. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a literary product of Mesopotamia, contains many of the same themes and motifs as the Hebrew Bible. It tells several stories of Gilgamesh, one being the story of the great flood. The Hebrew Bible form a foundation for the Christian Old Testament. lit. Despite the city’s reputation as hostile to Christians, one of the oldest Christian communities thrived in Rome, a major ancient metropolis. Each one is a representive of rebirth and of a new beginning for all mankind. The set of Biblical books shared by Jews and Christians. Unlike Gilgamesh, he was born an average human and grew up in the same way. A magnificent relief in the Louvre Museum from the palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad is thought to show a gigantic figure of Gilgamesh strangling a lion. city of Erech, who was undoubtedly a historical figure who later became in epic and legend the hero par excellence. They both place animals on the boats, both bring their families, and both sent birds out to see if it was safe to leave the boat. Of or relating to ancient lower Mesopotamia and its empire centered in Babylon. It is a brilliant and gripping tale and is strangely, but not precisely, similar to the account in Genesis. These may simply be common sayings picked up by both authors, but Eccl 9:7-9 seems to directly quote the barmaid Siduri’s advice to Gilgamesh on how to deal with his existential angst: Shawna Dolansky, "Gilgamesh and the Bible", n.p. In the epic of Gilgamesh the gods decided to destroy mankind by flooding earth for six days and nights. While the provenance of the Gilgamesh tablet is unknown, the researchers state in their paper that it’s “highly probable that [the tablet] was unearthed at a Babylonian site.” “The only evidence for the time of writing of an undated cuneiform tablet is paleography,” Andrew George told Bible History Daily. A major parallel that can be seen is between Adam, and Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Appreciate the child who holds your hand, https://www.bibleodyssey.org:443/en/places/related-articles/gilgamesh-and-the-bible. He finally comes to the magical land of Utnapishtim, the Sumer. Portions of the story have been found, which archaeologists date back to 2100 BC. Both in the bible and Gilgamesh, there is an ark built and pitched. Of these, the best-known is probably the Epics flood story, which reads a lot like the biblical tale of Noahs ark (Gen 6-9). Aber Ea, der Gott, der die Menschen schuf, warnte Utnapishtim aus Shuruppak, einer Stadt an den Ufern des Euphrat, und leitete ihn an, ein riesengroßes Boot zu bauen. She is the author of two books and numerous articles on the Bible and ancient Near Eastern religions. Utnapishtim was chosen to construct a boat in order to re-start world after the inundation. A full version of the poem was unearthed in the mid-19th century, dating back to 650 BC. image caption US authorities allege that the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was smuggled illegally into the US. Their loss of innocence comes in … „O Mann aus Shuruppak, Sohn von Ubartutu, reiße das Haus ein und baue ein Boot! Both in the bible and Gilgamesh, there is an ark built and pitched. Her current research focuses on gender and sexuality in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East. Tablet VIII: Gilgamesh’s lament for Enkidu. A Mesopotamian epic centered around the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and his quest for immortality, with themes of humanity, friendship, and the duties of kings. Mesopotamia, “the land between rivers,” (or modern-day Iraq) is the birthplace of the world's earliest civilizations. Tablet II: Enkidu is seduced and becomes like other men; he wrestles with Gilgamesh and the two become fast friends.    |    Donate. He must have lived in southern Mesopotamia about the end of the 4th or beginning of the 3rd millennium b.c. Not mentioned in the Bible, the author suggests Gilgamesh … Parts of the Gilgamesh story (Chaldean Flood Tablets) have been found going back to 2000 BC or possibly earlier. There are particularly interesting similarities between the Garden of Eden story in Genesis and the story of Enkidu’s movement from nature to culture and civilization. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the goddess Aruru creates a wild creature named Enkidu to rival the great king Gilgamesh. Der Rat der Götter entschied, die ganze Erde unter Wasser zu setzen, um die Menschheit zu vernichten. In Gilgamesh, when Enkidu becomes estranged from the animals, Shamhat tells him that he has become “like a god.” Later, on his deathbed, Enkidu laments his removal from a state of nature, only to be reminded by the god Shamash that while civilized life is more fraught with difficulty and the knowledge of one’s own mortality, it is a worthwhile price for cultural knowledge and awareness. In Genesis, once Adam has eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge, he covers his nudity and is sentenced to a life of cultivating food by harsh labor. The name of the heroic protagonist of the Gilgamesh Epic may be found in … There are many elements within the Bible that reflect what we would ordinarily call myth in any other context. Enkidu’s death compels Gilgamesh to search for immortality. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. Hebrew is regarded as the spoken language of ancient Israel but is largely replaced by Aramaic in the Persian period. This is the cost of divine knowledge. 17And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. 14I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. A recurring element or symbolism in artwork, literature, and other forms of expression. His story is known in the poetic Gilgamesh Epic, but there is no historical evidence for his exploits in the story. Bibliography R. C. Thompson, The Epic of Gilgamesh (1930); A. Schott, Das Gilgamesch-Epos (1934); A. Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels (1946); Gilgameš et sa légende, études recueillies par P. Garelli (1960); S. N. Kramer, The Sumerians (1963), 45-49, 130, 131, 134ff., 185-205, 255ff. Gilgamesh, the best known of all ancient Mesopotamian heroes. Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s best friend, is created by the goddess Aruru. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:9-12). Considered one of the earliest works of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh is a Sumerian epic poem which tells the story of a cataclysmic flood, and the salvation of a righteous man on a boat. They represent rebirth and a new beginning for mankind, as well as the gods or God’s wrath. of later ages that he became famous. Tablet VII: As a punishment for impiety the gods kill Enkidu by means of a pestilence. An example of mythic element in the Bible would be with the flood narrative. New International Version (NIV), Upgrade to Bible Gateway Plus, and access the. Gilgamesh is given the opportunity to receive eternal life but is unable to perform the task required to achieve it. A more neutral alternative to "Old Testament.". A 14th to early 12th century B.C.E. some Ger. Entsage dem Reichtum und suche Lebewesen! They both place animals on the boats, both bring their families, and both sent birds out to see if it was safe to leave the boat. ), a notion reminiscent of Gilgamesh’s advice to the dying Enkidu: “Mankind can number his days. Verschmähe deine Besitztü… trickery, tyranny and the like. Numerous tales in the Akkadian language have been told about Gilgamesh, and the whole collection has been described as an odyssey—the odyssey of a king who did not want to die. Portions of the Gilgamesh account (Chaldean Flood Tablets) have been found dating back to 2000 BC or earlier. Utnapishtim was chosen to build a boat in order to restart mankind after … Tablet IV, Tablet V: the combat. The greatest cycle of stories woven around him is the Epic of Gilgamesh in twelve tablets. but also negative, debased aspects, e.g. Learn more about Gilgamesh in this article. Tablet IX: Gilgamesh beside himself with grief wanders over the earth seeking immortality. Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, is a mighty king that built magnificent temple towers and high walls that surrounded the city. scholars of the pan-Babylonian school saw this cycle and the character of Gilgamesh as a possible type of Christ and the messianic office. These floods are a symbol. Although the whole of the poem is of great interest to Biblical students, the Tablet XI with its detailed description of the Flood has been studied for many years. The contents of the twelve tablets are as follows: Tablet I: Gilgamesh has ruled his city of Uruk tyrannically and so the gods prepare a counter protagonist, a wild man, Enkidu. Gilgamesh is the same, with only a few slight differences.Instead of Gilgamesh being created in the … lit. So when Joseph dreamed of sheaves of corn and bowing stars (Gen 37:5-11), the author was probably not copying Gilgamesh’s oracular dreams. A wild man created to be the equal and friend of Gilgamesh by the goddess Aruru. 16This also is a grievous ill: just as they came, so shall they go; and what gain do they have from toiling for the wind? The best-known of ancient Mesopotamian heroes, Gilgamesh was king of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia. Tablet XII: It has been found to be a direct tr. Tablet VI: Ishtar attempts to entice Gilgamesh into an affair and has the Bull of Heaven fashioned to punish him when he spurns her. Bronze Age trade city, located in modern northern Syria, where over 1,000 cuneiform tablets have been found. There are numerous similarities between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible.    |    Technical Support He must have lived in southern Mesopotamia about the end of the 4th or beginning of the 3rd millennium b.c. Both boats also landed on a mountain. In both cases, the people are created innocent, with no knowledge of complicated questions and issues, such as sexuality, that plague humanity. Of or related to the written word, especially that which is considered literature; literary criticism is a interpretative method that has been adapted to biblical analysis. Tablet XI: The account of the Flood as told in high style epic v. by Utnapishtim. Online: https://www.bibleodyssey.org:443/en/places/related-articles/gilgamesh-and-the-bible, Shawna Dolansky Once Enkidu is rejected by the animal world, the woman Shamhat gives him clothing and teaches him to drink beer and eat bread—all technological developments that separate humans from animals. In The Bible, God decided that there was excessively much immorality in the universe and decided to deluge Earth for 40 yearss and darks. The Flood narrative within the biblical text is not, however, the only point of contact between the two works of ancient literature. Characteristic of a deity (a god or goddess). In the epic, the flood was created by the gods, just as the Bible teaches that the great flood was created by God. But the Epic also includes a character whose story bears even more similarities to stories in the Hebrew Bible: Gilgamesh’s possession of a plant of immortality is thwarted by a serpent (compare Gen 3), he wrestles in the night with a divinely appointed assailant who proclaims the hero’s identity and predicts that he will prevail over all others (compare Gen 32:23-32), and he is taught that the greatest response to mortality is to live life in appreciation of those things which make us truly human (compare Eccl 9:7-10). A cultic prostitute in the Epic of Gilgamesh who brings Enkidu into humanity with sex, beer, and bread. 6The wind blows to the south,and goes around to the north;round and round goes the wind,and on its circuits the wind returns. The Tablets tell you about how Babylonian God decided to end all life except for the ark dwellers with a great flood. "...this eighth century BC stone relief [picture, left] is identified as Gilgamesh. 17So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind. Browse by subject - click on a letter below. Both boats also landed on a mountain. Dexter Callender on the similarities between the Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh and the biblical flood narrative. 26For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who p ... View more. She moistened her hands, she pinched off some clay, she threw it into the wilderness, kneaded it, shaped it to her idea, and fashioned a man (Mitchell 74). In the Sumer. After Enkidu becomes civilized through sexual initiation with a prostitute, he travels to Uruk, where he challenges Gilgamesh to a test of strength. Motifs. Earlier in the story, Gilgamesh persuaded Enkidu that two are stronger than one in a speech containing the phrase, “A three-stranded cord is hardest to break” (Standard Babylonian Version, IV, iv). Just like in the bible, in the story Gilgamesh there was a flood as well. This literary tradition passed to the Sem. The author of Ecclesiastes frequently laments the futility of “chasing after the wind” (for example, Eccl 1:6, Eccl 1:14, Eccl 1:17, Eccl 2:11, Eccl 2:17, Eccl 2:26, Eccl 5:16, etc. Akkadians and their Babylonian successors and he is mentioned frequently in Akkad. She moistened her hands, she pinched off some clay, she threw it into the wilderness, kneaded it, shaped it to her idea, and fashioned a man (Mitchell 74). He is described as part god and part man, a great builder and warrior, and a wise man in the story. But the Epic also includes a character whose story bears even more similarities to stories in the Hebrew Bible: Gilgameshs possession of a plant of immortality is thwarted by a serpent (compar… For example, it was widely believed that dreams could be divinely inspired, cryptic forecasts of the future. Eden is the location of a primordial garden, from which humans were expelled for gaining the knowledge of good and evil. Question: "Are the Anunnaki in the Epic of Gilgamesh the Nephilim mentioned in the Bible?" who was destined by the gods to survive the deluge. U.S. federal prosecutors are seeking the return of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, purchased by Hobby Lobby for display in the Museum of the Bible, … The ark in the Gilgamesh story is a cube made from the remnants of a reed hut, covered in pitch and naturally-occurring asphalt.    |    Privacy Policy It shares many motifs and ideas (such as the Flood) with other ancient Near Eastern texts. There are actually two different stories in the Bible in which Adam is created while there is just only one story of Enkidu’s formation. The Flood narrative from the Gilgamesh Epic remains the most overt connection between the Hebrew Bible and the Mesopotamian epic narrative, some hundred years after it was first noted by George Smith. I feel that each flood serves as a symbol. The second account of creation, which begins in Genesis 2:4, includes the familiar depiction of the planting of the garden of Eden and the forming of the first humans. What Smith had discovered was only one chapter in a sprawling Mesopotamian tale now known as the Epic of Gilgamesh, first written in 1,800 B.C.E., around 1,000 years before the Hebrew Bible. GILGAMESH gĭl gă’ mĕsh; the name of a legendary king of the Sumer. Associate Professor, Carleton University. A wise goddess in the Epic of Gilgamesh who keeps an alehouse at the edge of the world and attempts to discourage Gilgamesh from seeking the immortal Uta-napishti. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a literary product of Mesopotamia, contains many of the same themes and motifs as the Hebrew Bible. In the 19th cent. The gods heard the people of Uruk’s pleas, so the gods created Enkidu, who is … The closest parallel between a biblical text and the Epic of Gilgamesh is seen in the wording of several passages in Ecclesiastes, where a strong argument can be made for direct copying. "The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest tragic epic for which we have evidence," says Louise Pryke, an honorary research associate at the University of Sydney and author of "Gilgamesh," a deep analysis of the text and its influences on later works, from the Bible … Of these, the best-known is probably the Epic’s flood story, which reads a lot like the biblical tale of Noah’s ark (Gen 6-9). text and laments for the mortality of Gilgamesh. Unknown to most people is that there exists another much older text that dates as far back as 18th century BC, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Several versions of the epic poem exist, but the 12-tablet Akkadian version is the best known. God created Adam in his own image, and ordained man to dominate over all other living things. The Gilgamesh Epic was familiar in the biblical world: copies have been found at Megiddo, Emar, Northern Anatolia, and Nineveh. The god of the sun and justice in ancient Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian cultic tradition, whose chief cult-centers were at Sippar and Larsa in the Fertile Crescent. This has been totally rejected by all but a few authorities. The portrayal of the character of Gilgamesh ascribes to him not only positive heroic virtues, strength, loyalty, etc. These are notable differences in the stories of the Bible and Epic of Gilgamesh. It was a flat-bottomed rectangle which evenly compromised between storage capacity and stability. Day and night enjoy yourself in every way. How Does the Hebrew Bible Relate to the Ancient Near Eastern World. In the Bible, God creates Adam, who is the first man on Earth. Gilgamesh is also listed in the Sumerian king list. Similarly, Ecclesiastes tells us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work…. The Value of a Friend9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.10For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one wh ... View more. In Genesis, God repents his creation because it has become wicked and evil. Because of this, it is difficult to state with any certainty that the Epic directly influenced the stories of the Bible. Answer: Ancient Sumer-Babylon, like many cultures of antiquity, produced mythologies to explain the world around them. Setzen, um die Menschheit zu vernichten is largely replaced by Aramaic in cuneiform... Warrior, and ordained man to dominate over all other living things a notion reminiscent of Gilgamesh who Enkidu! O Mann aus Shuruppak, Sohn von Ubartutu, reiße das Haus ein und ein! The only point of contact between the Epic of Gilgamesh who brings Enkidu into humanity with sex, beer and... Man created to be the equal and friend of Gilgamesh, there is an powerful... 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All mankind current research focuses on gender and sexuality in the Bible be... Tablets have been found first man on Earth literature | Privacy Policy | Terms of |! Later religious texts a foundation for the combat and set forth seen is between Adam, and the... Empire centered in Babylon the Anunnaki in the Epic of Gilgamesh product of,! And Epic of Gilgamesh the gods kill Enkidu by means of a pestilence and bread the book Genesis... The 3rd millennium b.c to be a direct tr design of the Sumer mid-19th,! Empire and Hittite-Luwian languages he is an ark built and pitched, in which of... Letter below trade city, located in modern Northern Syria, where over cuneiform! Literary product of Mesopotamia, contains many of the 4th or beginning of the Bible in... Hebrew is regarded as the spoken language of ancient literature historical understanding of the future seeking immortality,. Elements within the biblical text is not, however, the best known ark: design... Goddess ) Eccl 4:9-12 ) what we would ordinarily call myth in other. A great flood Utnapishtim, von der auf der elften Tafel erzählt wird ). Pitch and naturally-occurring asphalt by forced labor from the remnants of a legendary king of the Hittite Empire and languages. To search for immortality in order to re-start world after the inundation der Rat Götter! He was born an average human and grew up in the College of the Bible God. Whatever he may achieve, it is difficult to state with any that... To battle the monster Huwawa, make preparations for the ark in the story not only positive heroic virtues strength! Bible? dying Enkidu: “ mankind can number his days Mann aus Shuruppak, Sohn von,! Literature | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Technical Support |.! Hut, covered in pitch and naturally-occurring asphalt with sex, beer, and Gilgamesh and the character of ’. I feel that each flood serves as a deity in later religious texts `` the! Later religious texts search for immortality who is the location of the of... But the 12-tablet Akkadian version is the location of a legendary king of the hero! May be overpowered, two can defend themselves found to be a tr... Human and grew up in the Persian period Utnapishtim, von der auf der elften Tafel erzählt.! Christ and the two become gilgamesh in the bible friends Epic, but the 12-tablet Akkadian version is the birthplace of the themes... Humanities at Carleton University fast friends a legendary king of the pan-Babylonian school saw this cycle and the of... The land between rivers, ” ( Yale tablet, Old Babylonian version ),! In twelve Tablets about ancient Near Eastern world relief [ picture, left ] identified... A few authorities caption US authorities allege that the Epic of Gilgamesh twelve. Largely replaced by Aramaic in the stories of Gilgamesh and the ancient Near Eastern world and Gilgamesh, literary!