Compare And Contrast Sundiata Vs Gilgamesh

Who is the better Epic Hero:
Sundiata v. Gilgamesh Sundiata which practices the Malian culture is symbolic of a perfect epic hero because being generous and highly favored, protecting your kinship, being loved by all and earning your fortune is highly respected. However, in the Mesopotamian culture the highly respected personality traits of the Malian’s were not important because their epic hero Gilgamesh did not process any of these traits. Sundiata is the better epic hero since he embodies more epic hero qualities than Gilgamesh.
Sundiata’s best trait is his generosity shown when he allows the nine old witches to go unpunished once he caught them stealing from his mother’s garden “There he found the nine witches stealing gnougou leaves”(Niane 25). Most heros would have punished the witches for stealing, but Sundiata’s
When he went on his first campaign all the soldiers talked about was Sundiata “they spoke about nothing but him in the camp” (Niane 37). The people favored Sundiata not only because he was strong and a good fighter but he was also smart which intrigued people “Men were even more surprised by the lucidity of his mind” (Niane 37). The king liked Sundiata so much that he made him king in his absences “After three years the king appointed Sundiata his Viceroy, and in the kings absence it was he who governed” (Niane 37). Gilgamesh was favored by none of the citizens in his Kingdom. Everyone hated him and when he went on his long quest to the Cedar Forest, they rejoiced at his absences. Sundiata was also favored by the kids he hung out with “Sundiata’s popularity was so great […], Fran Kamara Manding Bory and Kamandjan were the closet friends of the young princes” (Niane 23-24). Gilgamesh had only one friend Enkidu and that was because the people prayed to the gods to send him. If the people had not done this Gilgamesh would have had no friends because nobody cherished