Gilgamesh is the son of the goddess Ninsun and the human king Lugalbanda, and "two-thirds of him was divine, one-third of him was human!" ("The Epic of Gilgamesh" 39). He is strikingly good-looking and perfect in every way, "he was perfection in height" and "ideally handsome" (39). Because of he's divine blood he is considered a superhuman and the strongest of he's time. He's unmatched strength makes him a skilled fighter. Instead of Gilgamesh accepting the way he was, he saw himself as a full god. He was blinded by his actions and how this view portrayed to his people of Uruk. This caused the citizens of Uruk to view Gilgamesh as a god and capable of doing anything; later we find out he was unable to conquer all like he would have wished to accomplish.
Achilles is known as one of the strongest warriors in his time, half god and half human. "The son of Peleus in the line of Zeus" as "strong, swift, and godlike" (Homer 141, 132). His mother Thetis, had dipped him as a child in the River Styx making him to be immortal everywhere except the heel by which she held him. The only weakness was he's heel, he was a strong fighter and no one was a match for him. However, Achilles was well aware of his mortality. As a result of his friends death he chose that he didn't want to live a longer glorious life but a shortened happy life. Neither Gilgamesh nor Achilles consider having a family life or a romantic relationships with women, and no such thing is discussed in these two epic hero's lives. They're lives are so consumed with being strong worries and leaders that having their own families isn't something either talk about. The most important relationship in each hero's life seem to be with their mothers, to whom they look for advice and protection, especially Achilles. .
Being half human and half god defiantly had its perks for both, Achilles and Gilgamesh. They were always watched and guided by the gods and at times protected from harm.
