The Contexts of Flood Myths and The Epic of Gilgamesh(<Special Issue>Religion and Calamities)

Abstract

It is generally accepted that the flood story of Noah and its Mesopotamian predecessors are of the same genealogy. However, the story in the Bible differs from the Mesopotamian myths woven in the polytheistic milieu. The flood myth in the eleventh tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh is told by Utanapishti, who had survived the ancient flood, to Gilgamesh, the hero seeking eternal life. At the assembly of the gods, the supreme god Enlil decides to cause a flood, but the wisdom god Ea contrives to have Utanapishti to build a ship and rescue the seed of the living. After the flood, Enlil, accused of his thoughtlessness by Ea, repents of his fault and bestows the survived human being eternal life. After Utanapishti has told this story, he declares that there is no possibility to gain eternal life at the "modern" time, because there is no one to summon the divine assembly for that purpose. On the other hand, God (Yahwe or Elohim in Hebrew) in the Bible regrets the creation of human beings and decides to destroy them by causing a flood, but God himself orders Noah to build a ship and rescue the seed of the living. After the flood, God concludes a covenant with Noah and promises not to cause a flood again. And Noah goes on to live a very long time.