How were Gilgamesh and Enkidu different from one another?

While Gilgamesh and Enkidu have many common characteristics, such as their extreme physical prowess, Enkidu in many ways serves as the antithesis of the great King Gilgamesh. Both their similarities and differences are by design, as Enkidu was created specifically to arrest the great arrogance of King Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh is a man of noble bearing, a warrior king who was born and raised in a great urban center of the ancient world. He is cultured and educated and possesses authority derived from the traditions of a political system. Enkidu on the other hand is a wild man, formed of earth and saliva, raised by animals, or at first completely unaware of the ways of human society. He lacks the education and cultural knowledge of Gilgamesh, and his authority is entirely the product of his own strength.