| Overview |
Monsters have been part of human myth since our beginning. But what monster was the very first thing which goes bump in the night?
The monsters our ancestors spoke of in hushed tones weren’t just random creatures, but reflections of dominant fears in the cultures that birthed them. Our focus today is to identify the oldest monster explicitly recorded in written mythology.
The creature is likely one you’ve never heard of. It comes from the Epic of Gilgamesh — an epic myth from ancient Mesopotamia, and quite possibly the oldest piece of notable literature. The epic chronicles the deeds of Gilgamesh, who encounters various creatures throughout the poem. No monster, however, is as powerful as the very first one he meets.
Likely the first monster in recorded history — Humbaba The Terrible. |