The Epic of Gilgamesh as one of the greatest and certainly oldest masterpiece of world literature has always fascinated Jung. He first mentioned Gilgamesh in his 1911 work Transformation and Symbols of the Libido. However, he asked himself, “What is the myth I am living?” To answer this question Jung first had to destroy “the hero ideal of [his] efficiency”.  His imaginations about the bull-man Izdubar (Gilgamesh), as recorded in The Red Book, culminate in the hero’s transformation into the inner god of the individual. This heralds the dawn of a new god image in the Age of Aquarius.

Andreas Schweizer, PhD, is a practicing Jungian analyst in Zürich. He studied theology and comparative religion in Zürich as well as Egyptology with Prof. Erik Hornung in Basel. He has been training analyst since 1986, first at the C.G. Jung Institute in Küsnacht and currently with ISAP-Zürich. He was president of the Psychology Club (2006–2022), founded in 1916 by C.G. Jung, and for fourteen years president of the Eranos Conference in Ascona. He has published numerous essays and books, including The Sungod’s Journey through the Netherworld. Cornell University Press, 2010; and C.G. Jung, Letters to Hedy Wyss (1936–1956). Edited with a Commentary by Andreas Schweizer, Daimon Publisher 2023.

The Red Book, Liber secundus, chapters VIII–XI: Jung’s encounter with Izdubar.

If possible, please familiarize yourself with The Epic of Gilgamesh: Andrew George, (Penguin Classics)

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