著者

鈴木 桂子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.7, pp.117-134, 2011-03-31

著者

渡辺 和子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.7, pp.135-164, 2011-03-31

著者

渡辺 和子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, pp.23-44, 2006-03-31

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The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest mythological composition, was written about four thousands years ago. Of its various themes, this paper focuses on the acceptance of death and grief in the cases of Enkidu and Gilgamesh.Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and his friend Enkidu make an adventure to a cedar forest and slay Humbaba, the guardian of the forest. They also kill the “Bull of Heaven” which Anu, the god of heaven, had sent against them. For these acts of hubris, the gods sentence Enkidu to death. After he is placated by the sun god Shamash and consoled by Gilgamesh, he can accept his painful destiny. Gilgamesh, mourning bitterly for Enkidu and in fear of death, sets out on a long journey to Ut-napishtim who had obtained eternal life. He refuses all advice to break his mourning. Ut-napishtim tells him not to sleep for seven days. However, he falls asleep immediately afterwards. When he wakes up, he realizes that it is impossible to obtain eternal life. At last he finishes his mourning and bathes, dresses in clean garments, and returns to Uruk.Gilgamesh does not fail an initiation, as is often argued. I believe the epic presents examples of accepting death and completing grief.

著者

渡辺 和子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.6, pp.65-104, 2010-03-31

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The Epic of Gilgamesh (the Standard Babylonian version) was probably composed by Sin-l?qi-unninni as its editor in the Akkadian language to thebest of our knowledge in about the 12th century BC, using as its base the older version of the epic (the Old Babylonian version) established in the early second Millennium BC. The Standard Babylonian version is known to us through the copies made in the 7th century BC in Nineveh. These copies were excavated in the 19th century AD and brought to the British Museum.In the epic, Gilgamesh grieved over the death of Enkidu, his friend, and was afraid of his own death. Longing for the ‘secret of death and life,’ he made a trip to visit ?ta-napi?ti who had been a human but was bestowed with eternal life by the gods after the Deluge. But ?ta-napi?ti told Gilgamesh that there was “now” no one to summon an assembly of the gods, the only place where Gilgamesh could also obtain eternal life. Then, he told Gilgamesh not to sleep for six days and seven nights. However, Gilgamesh fell asleep immediately. When he finally was woken up by ?ta-napi?ti and realized that he really had slept for seven nights, he received the insight that death was inevitable. On the way home, he found the special ‘heartbeat herb’ (?ammu nikitti) in accordance with ?ta-napi?ti’s instructions. But a snake ate the plant, presumably became rejuvenated by it, and cast off his skin while Gilgamesh was bathing. Gilgamesh was enormously discouraged and returned to Uruk, his home city.The ending of the story may seem to impresses upon the audience or the reader that the main intent of the story is to tell about Gilgamesh’s failure in his quest. But this impression is incompatible with the introduction of the story, in which the editor as a narrator introduces Gilgamesh as a man who indeed obtains wisdom after his painful journey to the other world.

著者

渡辺 和子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.1, pp.105-128, 2005-03-31

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The standard version of the Epic of Gilgamesh composed in Akkadian in the second millennium BC narrates the adventures of Gilgamesh, the tyrannical ruler of Uruk, and his heroic quest for immortality. After Gilgamesh grieved over the death of his beloved friend Enkidu, he became frightened by the inevitability of death and he set out on a long journey to visit Ut-napishtim, the wise, who had survived the flood in ancient times and had been endowed with immortality by the gods. Ut-napishtim, tells Gilgamesh, how he survived the flood with the help of Ea, the god of wisdom. Then he says to Gilgamesh, “But now, who will bring the gods to assembly for you, so you can find the life you search for? Come, for six days and seven nights do not sleep!” (XI 207-209) Gilgamesh fails this challenge and realizes it is impossible for him to obtain eternal life. On the return journey, Gilgamesh manages to find the herb of rejuvenation, which Ut-napishtim had told him about. But a snake chances upon the herb, eats and casts off its skin, depriving of Gilgamesh the rejuvenation he had hoped for.The present author does not agree with M. Eliade who argued that the Epic of Gilgamesh narrates the failed initiation of Gilgamesh due to his lack of wisdom. The editor of the Epic, possibly Sin-l?qi-unninni, must have intended to bring the immortal Ut-napishtim and the mortal Gilgamesh together by incorporating the flood myth into the Epic. The purpose of the editor seems to have been to declare that the times in which immortality could have been given to a human being were 128 long past.At the beginning of the Epic, the editor introduced Gilgamesh as the extremely wise man who “came a distant road and was weary but was granted rest.”Although Gilgamesh had returned to Uruk in vain, it is suggested that he became wise and overcame the fear of death. The Epic narrates, in my view, a story of a successful initiation which has been appealing to the people until today.

著者

島 創平

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, pp.45-58, 2006-03-31

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The Romans had to provide for their own burial places. Rich Romans spent huge amount of money to build their monumental tombs. But many poor Romans left no memorial. Their corpses were thrown unceremoniously into collective pits (puticuli) outside the city. So in order to make sure to have their burial places, they became members of cooperative burial clubs (collegia), or they depended on wealthy patrons, who provided collective burial chambers (columbaria) for them.Later as the population of the city of Rome grew, the price of land around the city soared. And the way of burial gradually changed from cremation to interment. Consequently the shortage of place for burial became serious problem. For that reason, burial places were located underground.

著者

渡辺 和子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.9, pp.231-246, 2013-03-31

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誤植訂正のためPDF差し替え(2015年4月22日)

著者

渡辺 和子

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

no.7, pp.135-164, 2011-03-31

著者

福田 周

出版者

リトン

雑誌

死生学年報 = Annual of the Institute of Thanatology, Toyo Eiwa University

巻号頁・発行日

vol.7, pp.5-22, 2011-03-31