How Tall Was Gilgamesh?

You‘ve probably seen the iconic image of the eight-armed, red-armored Gilgamesh wielding a plethora of oversized weapons while towering over his foes. To fans of the Fate series and beyond, he cuts an instantly recognizable figure even for those unfamiliar with the actual Mesopotamian myths – a truly larger-than-life gaming icon.

But just how tall is this legendary king and demigod hero actually supposed to be? According to the oldest known stories, pretty damn massive:

Standing over 17 feet tall!

Yup, that famous Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh describes him as 11 cubits in height – around 5.2 meters or 17 feet and 4 inches by today‘s measurements.

I mean, that immediately puts LeBron to shame let alone us average gamer mortals! 😂 No wonder Gilgamesh has that absolute boss fight energy radiating from him in every appearance.

So Why Craft Gilgamesh As A Literal Giant?

Well, to the civilizations between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers over 4,000 years ago developing these iconic stories of great kings and heroes, envisioning Gilgamesh with superhuman size and strength helped elevate him to a legendary status worthy of lasting epic tradition.

And when you‘re the semi-divine ruler fighting monsters, seeking immortality and stamping your legacy onto the ancient world, I guess standing 17+ feet tall fits the bill!

It lines up with his insane backstory too – born from both a literal goddess mother and a father who was a past demigod king himself.

So PR wise for the people of Uruk over which Gilgamesh reigned, having this epic giant-god hybrid on the throne must‘ve felt like hitting some kind of ancestral lottery! 🎰

No doubt that seeing Gilgamesh in person back then would inspire the kind of jaw-dropping awe that we might feel looking up at a raid boss in our favorite MMORPG.

And then, according to the stories, he reigned for 126 years too! So imagine generations growing up with this absolute unit as the figure dominating their city. A true mythic legend unfolding before their eyes.

Gilgamesh vs. Other Iconic Giants

Looking across pop culture, few can match the scale of Gilgamesh‘s jam-packed backstory and fanciful height. Just check some quick fire comparisons:

VS Popular Giants

I mean forget the Clegane Bowl, the real ultimate showdown would be Gilgamesh squaring off against the Giants of Elden Ring! 👀

Jokes aside, when it comes to absurd scaling and physical presence, I think only the Hindu deity Vishnu‘s giant form of Trivikrama comes close. He supposedly crossed the universe in three death-defying strides!

And characters like the Titans of Greek myths have the lineage but tend to remain more humanlike in direct descriptions.

The Epic That Kept On Scaling

Now the legends of big G evolved over centuries before Babylon‘s Sin-liqe-unninni compiled the near-definitive 12 tablet Epic of Gilgamesh sometime around 1300 to 1000 BCE.

So his exact details likely got inflated over time for more grandiose effect as oral tradition morphed into codified myth. A bit like playing an epic game of historical telephone! 📞

But however you slice it, the early roots and Sumerian references to Gilgamesh‘s superhuman stature showcase how pivotal size and strength were to his conceptual image.

And when adapted into modern media, creators absolutely tapped into that ideal of Gilgamesh as this larger, more outrageous version of a human – just cranked to 11 on divine steroids!

The lustrous golden alien design in Fate, multiple weapon-wielding arms in various anime, not to mention towering over his already giant servants in actual gameplay…

The rich source lore around Gilgamesh gave developers and artists a lot to play with for sure! And I for one love to see this Mesopotamian icon inspiring such epic reimaginings today. 🙌

In Conclusion

However factual the original basis for Gilgamesh‘s adventures, his literary image thrived on poetic exaggeration and fanciful scale perfect for timeless mythic tradition.

So while historians debate exactly how tall any real king in ancient Uruk may have been, our epic gaming inspiration undoubtedly towers mightily at 5.2 meters in all his glory!

And I know myself and fellow fans wouldn‘t have it any other way. 😎 So next time you catch Gilgamesh dishing out scorn and weapons in equal overpowered measure, remember just what a literal giant he‘s meant to be!

Alright, cheers for reading my mythic ramblings! Be sure to check the site for more analysis on bringing ancient epics to life in modern gaming. Until next time! 👋