The search for destiny in The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey and The AeneidThe search for destiny is reflected in literary works such as "The Epic of Gilgamesh", "The Odyssey" by Homer and "The Aeneid" by Virgil. The hero of each story goes to the land of the dead in order to satisfy his individual needs. And although each has a different motivation for the journey, they share two things in common First, each hero seeks to know something about their future or destiny And second, their discoveries are not exactly what they were looking for in The nature of the quests. the underworld of heroes Gilgamesh, Odysseus and Aeneas ranges from immortality, happiness and the need to know he is doing the right things in life, while respectfully discovering emptiness, sadness and judgment. his friend Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh realizes that death is also imminent for him since he is part human. So, terrified of his future, Gilgamesh travels to the underworld in search of immortality but instead finds emptiness. Gilgamesh believes that Utnapishtim, who resides in the underworld, holds the secret to avoiding death, since the gods gave him immortality after the "Great Flood". However, Gilgamesh finds the underworld empty. This void is expected in his journey through the cave league. Shamash flatly tells Gilgamesh that he will not find what he is looking for. But Gilgamesh also receives more subtle warnings. For example, Siduri asks Gilgamesh why he is “looking for the wind” (38). Furthermore, caves have “no light”; foreseeing that Utnapishtim will have no knowledge or secrets about immortality (37). And the author repeatedly writes “nothing forward and nothing backward” (37). This implies that...... middle of paper...... Homer. “The Odyssey”. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. The NortonAnthology: Masterpieces of the World. 7th ed. Vol.1. Ed. Sara Lawall. New York: Norton, 1999. 209-514Norman, Dorothy. The Hero: Myth/Image/Symbol. New York: World Publishing Company, 1969. The Odyssey. Real. Andrei Konchalovsky. Perf. Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini, Vanessa Williams. Videocassette. Hallmark, 1997Sanders, Nancy K., Trans. “Gilgamesh.” The NortonAnthology: Masterpieces of the World. 7th ed. Vol.1. Ed. Sara Lawall. New York: Norton, 1999. 16-46. Thompson, Diane. Gilgamesh Study Guide. July 7, 1999. Online. Internet. February 10, 2000. Available: novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/eng251/gilgameshstudy.htmVirgil. “The Aeneid”. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. The NortonAnthology: Masterpieces of the World. 7th ed. Vol.1. Ed. Sara Lawall. New York: Norton, 1999. 814-895