"The Epic of Gilgamesh" illustrates the transformative experience of human companionship with themes that remain as relevant in the modern day as they were in ancient Babylon. Gilgamesh, the protagonist, is a powerful king who has a transformative relationship with Enkidu, a man crafted by the gods to mirror Gilgamesh’s strength and to push back on his unfettered power. After a brief challenge for superiority, which Gilgamesh wins, the two become inseparable friends and are each influenced by the other: Enkidu changes from wild man to companion and Gilgamesh changes from a brutal and feared king to an equally loyal friend. Together, the two face fears together, resist temptations, battle the unknown, and triumph. At the same time, these celebrated victories are undercut by the inevitability of death, the crippling pain of mourning, and Gilgamesh’s struggle to find meaning in the face of his mortality. Gilgamesh’s story encompasses the spectrum of human experience and is largely shaped by the acquisition and loss of intimate friendship.

Enkidu is a symbol of the power of companionship. He first appears as a wild man in need of taming, but his ability to push back against a man as powerful as Gilgamesh allows them both to become better, more balanced men.