In the first volume of the Norton Anthology of World Literature, the introduction tells the readers about the "invention of writing and the earliest literatures" (3). The earliest form of writing in 3000BC in Mesopotamia led to the first recorded story, Gilgamesh. Interpreted by N.K. Sandars, this epic shows the Egyptian's love and worship of nature. The story also has several parallels to the bible and more specifically the story of Noah and the flood.
The characters of Gilgamesh worship different gods of nature and emotions such as love. This is important in showing the importance of nature in the 3000 BC world. In this time the people would use everything in nature to help them prosper in their lives. The gods also helped Gilgamesh and Enkindu's journey into the forest. By guiding the men, the sun god Shamash helped them to trudge onto their destination, to kill Humbaba. Shamash said, "Go forward, do not be afraid" (22). When they get to Humbaba, the god Shamash helped the men by summoning "the great wind, the north wind, the whirlwind, the storm and the icy wind they came like dragons" (23). Because of the force of nature applied by Shamash, Gilgamesh and Enkindu defeated the beast Humbaba. .
The closest parallel to the bible is seen in part 5, The Story of the Flood. Both in the bible and Gilgamesh, there is an ark built and pitched. 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. Both boats also landed on a mountain. These stories similarities may be because of a story passed down from the times of Noah and incorporated into the story of Gilgamesh to add a bit of extra excitement.
