Gilgamesh the Hero #3

Read chapters 7-8 of Gilgamesh the Hero

A symbol is a person, place, or thing comes to represent an abstract idea or concept -- it is anything that stands for something beyond itself.

Symbolism is "the investing of outward things or actions with an inner meaning"

symbol (from Etymology Dictionary)

early 15c., "creed, summary, religious belief," from L.L. symbolum "creed, token, mark," from Gk. symbolon "token, watchword"... literally. "that which is thrown or cast together," from syn- "together" + bole "a throwing, a casting, the stroke of a missile, bolt, beam," from bol-, nom. stem of ballein "to throw" (see ballistics). The sense evolution in Greek is from "throwing things together" to "contrasting" to "comparing" to "token used in comparisons to determine if something is genuine." Hence, "outward sign" of something. The meaning "something which stands for something else" first recorded 1590 (in "Faerie Queene").

There is much use of the idea of "symbols" in literary works -- tracking down symbols in literature can certainly be overdone, but having the idea in mind can be useful in understanding what is going on in literary works. For example, in Lord of the Rings, the Ring is a real thing, but it also seems to represent something besides just a powerful magical item.

We will probably talk more about this in future literature lessons.

Here's a Scatter with some possible symbols from Gilgamesh. Can you see anything in common between these symbols and the use of similar "signs" in other works?