Like all epics, Gilgamesh contains both historical and mythic elements in all its versions, and is meant to be interpreted on several levels. In addition to its very human themes of friendship, courage, the problem of death, and the meaning of life, it is also an initiatory tale about the quest for enlightenment, the revelation of divine mysteries, the duality of man, and the evolutionary unfolding of our spiritual nature. The physical composition of the Babylonian recension discloses an intentional number symbolism: 12 tablets, each containing about 300 lines divided into 6 columns. More importantly, Gilgamesh is meant to be read as an extended metaphor, a spiritual biography as much about ourselves as about the Sumerian hero-king. Calling across nearly 5,000 years, it is a potent reminder of the timelessness and relevance of the ancient spiritual path.
             Here I will adopt a definition offered by Finnish folklorist Lauri Honko. He summarize four criteria of myth with respect to form (narrative of sacred origin), content (cosmogonic in terms of cultural origin or existential condition), function (model for human activity), and context (in the sense that myth provides "the ideological content for a sacred form of behavior"). It is also important to note that myths language, symbols, and meaning are tied to the context and worldview of origin. Moreover, the functional use of myths may range from a children's story hour to a mechanism of political legitimization. In other words, myths serve any number of social, religious, ideological, or pedagogical functions.
             Gilgamesh is an epic of great love, followed by lingering grief that causes a significant change in his character. It is the story of a person who is feared and honored, a person who loves and hates, a person who wins and loses and a person who lives life. Although, Gilgamesh's journey is larger than life, yet it ends so commonly with death.
             Example of Form - The Epic of ...