Myths of a Great Flood

The Babylonian Deluge, from the Painting by E. Wallcousins
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria by Donald A. Mackenzie
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Most people are familiar with the flood in the book of Genesis where Noah builds an ark and takes on board two of every creature. But this is not the only myth of a great flood. A Sumerian version of the story tells of Ziusudra, "he saw life," who survived a great flood (Sandars 17).

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, in his search for immortality, seeks out the ancient survivor of a great Babylonian flood, Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim tells him of the great flood, when it rained seven days, covering the earth in water. Utnapishtim's boat landed on Mount Nisir. He sent out a dove, which could not find land, then, a swallow, and finally, a raven, which did not return. After the flood Utnapishtim was given eternal life (Leeming, "Gilgamesh" 151-2).

An even older version of the Babylonian flood story names the survivor Atrahasis, where the great flood is the last of a series of cataclysms (Sandars 17). In this story, humans had been created to work for the younger gods, but the noise the humans made kept the gods awake, and so, several attempts, including reducing the food supply, were made to keep the humans quiet (Leick 145).

In the Greek version of the story, Zeus destroys mankind with the help of Poseidon, covering the entire earth except for the tip of Parnassus. There a wooden chest contained the last two humans, Deucalion, son of Prometheus, and Pyrrha, Deucalion's wife and Prometheus' neice. Prometheus had warned them of the coming destruction and provided their means of escape. Zeus pitied Deucalion and Pyrrha, and they were told to cast stones behind their back. The stones became people who helped replenish the earth (Hamilton 93-4).

Flood myths are common around the world, and frequently mark a second chance, or new creation, for humans after the failure of humans to live well. Flood myths express the belief in "both imperfection and the possibility of redemption" (Leeming, "Flood" 138).

Works Cited

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown, 1942. Print.

Leeming, David. "Flood." The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.

---. "Gilgamesh." The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.

Leick, Gwendolyn. The Babylonians: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print.

MacKenzie, Donald A. "Fig. IX.1. The Babylonian Deluge, from the Painting by E. Wallcousins." Myths of Babylonia and Assyria. Project Gutenberg. Web. 17 Aug. 2004. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16653/16653-h/16653-h.htm#id2529196>.

Sandars, N. K. The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Version with an Introduction. Rev. ed. New York: Penguin, 1972. Print.

HUM 2130 World Mythology