The Gilgamesh Myth: Rejuvenation Bites Back
The earliest surviving work of literature in the Western canon, the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, deals with many themes including the quest for fame, sexual temptation and the flood story. Gilgamesh meets Uta-napishti who survived the Great Flood and was granted immortality by the gods. Uta-napishti tells Gilgamesh how to find a plant at the bottom of the sea that will renew his youth. Gilgamesh dives for the plant, finds it and sets out for home. When he stops for the night to sleep, a snake steals the plant of rejuvenation. This magic plant allows snakes forevermore to shed their skin and become young again.
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