Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh was a king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk whom most historians believe actually existed, probably ruling in the early part of the Early Dynastic period, with his lifetime generally placed between about 2900 and 2500 BC. Evidence for a historical Gilgamesh includes his listing in the Sumerian King List, an inscription describing him as chosen by the god Utu, and the Tummal Inscription, which credits him with building the walls of Uruk. Centuries after his presumed lifetime, during the Third Dynasty of Ur, kings worshipped him as a deity and called him their divine brother. Around this historical core grew an extensive legendary tradition: five independent Sumerian poems narrate his exploits, and these were later combined into the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh, composed during the Middle Babylonian period, which follows his friendship with Enkidu, his quest for immortality after Enkidu's death, and his eventual acceptance of mortality, making him one of the earliest and most enduring heroes in world literature. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/