Gilgamesh's Quest for Immortality (Gilg. IX-XI) as a Narratological Pattern for Odysseus's Nostos (Od. V,1-XIII,187)

This article provides new support for the thesis that the author of the Odyssey probably knew the Epic of Gilgamesh, arguing that the tripartite narrative of Odysseus’s return home (nostos) via Ogygia, Scheria, and Ithaca (Od. V,1–XIII,187) reflects the tripartite scheme of the unsuccessful journey that Gilgamesh undertook in pursuit of immortal life via Mashu, Dilmun, and Uruk (Gilg. IX–XI).