100 days of enemy recs: 21. The Epic of Gilgamesh

[melannen]

Gilgamesh/Enkidu: "You made him, O Aruru, now create his equal; let it be as like him as his own reflection, his second self, stormy heart for stormy heart. Let them contend together, and leave Uruk in quiet."

I occasionally still encounter people who think enemies-to-lovers is weird. Or who are all in for enemies-to-lovers, but are new to the idea that part of the attraction of the trope is two people who are provably equals in all ways, who can only fight to a stalemate. So I give you the oldest written m/m story in existence.

Unfortunately, a lot of the part where Enkidu and Gilgamesh contend together as enemies is currently a lacuna, and it happens differently in different versions. But then again this is my oldest fandom where new canon still sometimes drops, so you never know what might show up!

Rec number one is a fan translation of the first part of canon for anyone who isn't familiar.

• The (Less Than) Epic of Gilgamesh (1677 words) by Rethira
  Chapters: 1/1
  Fandom: The Epic of Gilgamesh, Original Work
  Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
  Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
  Relationships: Enkidu/Gilgamesh
  Characters: Enkidu, Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian Mythology)
  
  Two-thirds a god, 100% a man.


• Battle Lines (3640 words) by petrichoral
  Chapters: 1/1
  Fandom: The Epic of Gilgamesh
  Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
  Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
  Relationships: Enkidu/Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian Mythology)
  Characters: Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian Mythology), Enkidu (Mesopotamian Mythology)
  Additional Tags: Yuletide Treat, Alternate Universe - Space
  
  Space AU!

Comments

[luzula]

I loved The Other Road from this year's Yuletide, by fresne! It's a "the other one dies" AU.

[melannen]

I like that one too! It was set a little too late in canon to pick up the enemies part of the dynamic though, I think.

[luzula]

Ah yes, that's true--and Gilgamesh's sisters kind of stole the show. : )

[primeideal]

Just curious, was the "rec number one" supposed to be a link to something else, or is that referencing Rethira's story?

[melannen]

It's supposed to be referencing Rethira's story! I suppose it's not actually tagged as a fan translation but it's closer to the original than the one in the Penguin Books edition I have. :P

[primeideal]

Haha, that's fair, thanks! :)

[lannamichaels]

Thanks for the link to the first one, I'm snickering so hard.

[melannen]

It is a good intro to the poem I thnk. :D

[lokifan]

Oh, contest of equals is such a HUGE aspect of the appeal for me!!