Dariusz RymarCorresponding authorORCID id

The Dialectic of Teleological Journeys
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel

Article
29/1 – Spring 2024, pages 83-110
Date of online publication: 28 juin 2024
Date of publication: 28 juin 2024

Abstract

Researchers’ attention has been drawn to parallels between Homer’s Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, hitherto, no connections have been observed between Kazantzakis’s Sequel and the Mesopotamian work. Convergent are the primary motivations and actions undertaken by the protagonists of both poems, particularly their “peregrinations” to the boundaries of the world, dictated by eschatological anxieties. Moreover, the hero of Kazantzakis’s Sequel undergoes a transformation analogous to the legendary ruler of Uruk: under the influence of concerns, the proud kings opt for solitary wanderings, which results in better self-understanding and higher axiological awareness. The comparison of symbols, such as the sun, fire, lightning, the Water of Life and Death, and theriomorphic allegories, indicates Kazantzakis’s utilization of numerous intermediary sources stemming from the ancient Near Eastern tradition. An additional aim of the article is to indicate interpretative possibilities of books describing the wanderings of the Odyssean spirit after abandoning the project of building the “ideal city,” as versions of ars moriendi: the art of overcoming the fear of death.

Keywords

Cite this article

Rymar, Dariusz. 2024. "The Dialectic of Teleological Journeys: The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel." Forum Philosophicum 29 (1): 83–110. doi:10.35765/forphil.2024.2901.05

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License