A Woman's Worth

1 The Initiation and the Primal Woman in The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 23, written by John A.
Bailey, describes and compares the initiation into humanity of Enkidu in The Epic of Gilgamesh and the man in Genesis 2-3. Not only does Bailey explain the initiation of the two however, he explains it specifically from the womans perspective. Bailey fails, however, to clearly identify the womans significance in the introduction of man into humanity. He acknowledges the initiation of man, but he does not fully show how a woman affects it and how she is affected by it. Bailey begins the article by introducing The Epic of Gilgamesh. In the beginning, Enkidu is a man of the wild who is of nature and lives amongst the animals. His only act of violence at this point is to protect the animals from the hunter who set traps. The incident, however, causes the hunter to acquire a harlot from the city of Uruk. Upon arrival, the harlot seduces Enkidu for six days and seven nights. By the end, she tells him Enkidu, thou art become like a god. Bailey states that the harlot recognizes that sexual experience has given Enkidu a sense of divinity. The harlot then clothes Enkidu and shows him beer and human food. After looking over Enkidu, the harlot says he has become like a man. Bailey points out the irony in the harlots claim, because earlier she says Enkidu is like a god. Despite the irony in the harlots claim, Baily declares that the real importance is Enkidu becoming aware of the change that occurs. The change was not through a sense of benefit, but through a loss. Bailey claims with the sexual and human experience Enkidu undergoes, he loses everything he has known up to that point. As one can
2 see, Bailey makes valid points in introducing the harlot, but he still has not adequately explained her part in the initiation. Secondly, Bailey introduces the women in Genesis 2-3. Bailey says, that having created man, God decides that man needs a helper. Even after creating the animals and birds, none of these are suitable to be the mans helper. God then creates woman from the mans rib. Stating, this at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, God was satisfied with the woman as mans helper. Bailey points out that the woman is subordinated in the story. To support, he says man even names her himself. This is eluding because the mans creation is described in one verse, but the womans creation come with the mans response to it. The womans creation is portrayed as the climax of the creation story. Bailey claims that she is the crown of creation. With that said, Bailey again is contradicting himself. More so, he fails to clearly illustrate the womans role in mans initiation. In the creation story, the initiation of man into humanity is the overlying theme. One distinct way to explore the initiation of man into humanity is by looking at the sexual significance in the story; which Bailey fails to show. First off, the story begins with the serpent approaching the woman. Bailey states that the serpent is the cleverest of all creatures, cleverer than man. The serpent seduces the woman and she immediately disobeys God by not only eating the fruit, but gives it to the man to eat as well. By eating from the tree, the eyes of them both were opened. Bailey refuses, however, to acknowledge that some scholars see the knowledge of good and evil as primarily or exclusively sexual in character in Genesis 2-3. There are many claims however to support that eating from the tree has sexual
3 significance. For example, the man and woman were both naked and without shame before eating the fruit. Then, sexual intercourse between the two is not mentioned until after the two have eaten. Finally, the serpent that seduced the woman has phallic significance. The evidence of sexual interpretation is important because it signifies the equivalence between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 2-3. To realize the comparison, realize that the sexual significance does not indicate the path which man followed, but the path from which he departed. Sexuality is key because it represents humanity. Mediterranean texts even perceive the act of sex as a commencement into humanity. As side from sexuality, Baily does not recognize that human nature, as a whole is important to the initiation. For instance, why did the serpent approach the woman instead of the man? The serpent chooses the woman because she is the more human and open to discussion of the two. Bailey disagrees however. Bailey argues that by the woman eating from the tree of knowledge and good and evil, she is rejecting the limitations of humanity. Bailey is incorrect, however, because by the woman rejecting humanity, she is clearly human in her disobedience of God. Acknowledging the womans humanity is important because the theme of human nature relates to the harlot. The harlots entire purpose in the epic is to introduce Enkidu into humanity. By the harlot saying, "now Enkidu has become like a man, we shall go into the city", the harlots sexuality and human appeal initiates Enkidu into humanity. For example, Enkidu fulfills himself with the harlot he discovers that he is not as agile as he was before and he cannot keep up the animals. Enkidus body became taut, his knees were motionless. Bailey fails to adequately
4 show that Enkidu becomes completely human. This parallels Genesis 2-3 as well. The womans human lust for disobedience, allowed her to be seduced by the serpent. As a result, God kicked the man and the woman out of the garden. The Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. There, man was initiated into humanity. Undoubtedly, the sexual significance and human nature of both the harlot and the woman initiates man into humanity. In fact that is the womans worth. The womens only purpose is to initiate man into humanity and how she does it creates her legacy. That raises another question Bailey does not answer. If initiating man into humanity is a womans worth, why did the harlot leave unnoticed for the rest of the epic and the woman in Genesis 2-3 held as the the mother of all living? The women and the harlot both initiated the man into humanity, right? The woman in Genesis 2-3 is renowned as the crown of creation because by eating the fruit with the man, she was initiated as well. The harlot for example, only seduced Enkidu into humanity. She on the other hand did not undergo any change at all. She initiated Enkidu but she did not initiate herself. Bailey fails to realize this point and how it demonstrates how the harlot and the woman are affected by the initiation. In The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 2-3, Bailey describes the significance of the initiation of man into humanity, but he fails to support his claim sufficiently. He does not dig into underlying motifs such as sexuality and human nature; which, in turn, support his claim. Bailey recognizes the initiation of man, but he does not completely describe the influence women have on it and how it influences them.

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1 The Initiation and the Primal Woman in The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 23, written by John A.

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