Gilgamesh and the Hero Who Saw the Deep

In the epic of Gilgamesh we see a microcosmic story of bullheaded ancient civilizations slowly learning that there are often more advantages to amicable partnerships than wars. The Babylonian name for the epic was He Who Saw the Deep, and I want to talk about what was meant by that depth. Late in the epic Gilgamesh is neither villain nor hero, but a sort of every man figure whose quest for immortality is a mirror for human experience. And their answer wasn't all tragedy: Gilgamesh bravely looked into the deep and strove tirelessly, but in the end he returned home and stood on his city walls.