Motherhood In Homer’s Odyssey, and The Epic Of Gilgamesh
The steel and strong bond between mother and son brood a unique relationship to the unraveling of the literary works of Homeric works of The Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The authors of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey thus extensively tackle motherhood. Despite their different storylines, both books divulge into elaborating the relationship between mother and son. Ninsun in Gilgamesh looks after Gilgamesh’s interest, who is her son and the main protagonist of the story. On the other hand, Penelope is ever concerned about her son Telemachus. The intriguing tales in the Epic of Gilgamesh are profound with the quest for immortality and expounds on how kindness and wisdom are superior in the realization of the same. Ninsun, who is characterized as the loving mother of the main protagonist, Gilgamesh, embodies motherhood in the epic. Ninsun is subject to a nurturing mother’s stereotypical designations, she is essential in her role as a goddess, as she strives to guide Gilgamesh to his quest. The extensive involvement in the life of Gilgamesh stems from her endeavor to aid in the interpretation of the dreams. The meaning of the dream is essential in the later encounters with Enkidu, whom they form a companionship to realize their fate. Therefore the pic of Gilgamesh portrays motherhood as a bond that is essential for survival and the influence the nurturing has on his ego. At the same time, The Odyssey depicts Penelope, Telemachus’s mother, to be off hands in her raising, hence the influence on the character’s attitude, additionally, motherhood is depicted as having the role of guidance and protection of their offspring.
The centrality of motherhood in the Epic of Gilgamesh portrays how the kind of nurturing a mother renders affects their traits and behavior. Ninsun had a hands-on maturing of her son, an aspect that influenced his development. It can be substantiated that Gilgamesh had such a robust ego, owing to her mother’s influence on inflating it. Gilgamesh’s mother acted as his safety net, whenever a problem occurred, in some instances, facilitating the sending up of her son’s prayers. She did that with ease because she was considered one of the goddesses. The relationship between mother and son, therefore, is to offer guidance. As in the case of the epics, the guidance was both in spiritual realms such as the discerning of dreams of Gilgamesh and also in the physical aspects. The element of motherhood is, therefore, not only to nurture but also to protect their offspring. To this effect, it can be alluded to that there is a deliberate action by the mothers to be in control. Hence, as t reduce the amount of corruption that may stem from external influences, including the patriarchy.
The Homeric accounts in the odyssey, portray the motherhood as embodied by the characters of Odysseus and his relationship with his mother as one that hinges on teachings of heroism and responsibility. It is stamped by the opposition he receives from his wife and mother, predominantly because they cared for him; therefore, they felt a need to be associated with his decisions every step of the way (Levin et al. 330). Despite the opposition, he strives to rise above the status quo and still depicts his heroic attitudes. Although Odysseus is cunning, she is particularly favored by the goddess Athena who is also like his mother figure. She sends him divine aid despite his cumming nature. Conversely, Penelope ho is the mother to Telemachus, embodies the traits and attributes that define motherhood. She is portrayed as clever; although often she is engulfed with a series of excitable vigor, it does not derail her from dispensing her duty to Telemachus. Penelope, as the mother to Telemachus, seemed off-hands in raising his son, although she offered guidance whenever she felt the prince was in need. Motherhood in the odyssey can, therefore, be said to be having the role of offering guidance. Often mothers are depicted as being the pillars to their sons and will go to great lengths to protect them even though some of their sons have flaws.
Conversely, motherhood is the emblem or what role models ought to be as embodied by the character of Penelope. It is stated that Odysseus considers her as a mortal woman, but one who has wisdom, stature, and beauty. In the conversation with Calypso, we can decipher that through the lens of her husband; she is a complete definition of a mother to her son Telemachus. Homer’s The Odyssey is, therefore, a portrayal of motherhood based on the actions of the mothers and not solely reliant on the conventional definitions of what motherhood entails. It is the author’s deliberate intent to incorporate diction that is aimed at identifying how mothers ought to raise their sons. Penelope, for instance, is keen on instilling the aspect of responsibility to Telemachus, albeit distant in the direct involvement in Telemachus’ life. The element of motherhood is further augmented in both stories to have an integral role in the formation of the themes exhibited in both stories. It is not an independent occurrence that both stories have the common theme of the sons having the traits of supremacy and extraordinary strength (Levin et al. 328). The element can be attributed to the raising of their mothers who instilled the attributes in them, with the vision that it will aid them in fulfilling their quests. Their respective mothers influence their journey despite not being a constant figure in the unraveling of the story.
In summation, motherhood is an aspect that prevails across the two stories of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer’s Odyssey. The mothers also play a critical role in ensuring that their sons find meaning in their lives. It is thus vital to note that the pic of Gilgamesh portrays motherhood as a bond that is essential for survival and the influence the nurturing has on his ego. Motherhood in the epic is done in a hands-on manner with significant involvement in upbringing and nurturing. Consequently, The Odyssey depicts Penelope, Telemachus’s mother, to be off hands in her raising, hence the influence on the character’s attitude, additionally, motherhood is depicted as having the role of guidance and protection of their offspring. Mothers in both stories are in constant mini-quest of their own to ensure their sons grow up devoid of the undermining of the status quo, be it the prevailing patriarchy, or the spiritual realm, as presented by Gilgamesh’s mother Ninsun, who goes to great length to ensure the dreams of her son are interpreted. To this effect, it can be affirmed that the aspect of motherhood prevails across the two stories, regardless of the different plots and characters.