Ever since the beginning of civilization, people have turned their eyes to the skies, seas, and mountains to proffer answers to the mysteries of nature. The story of the Great Flood is one of the most common myths that have permeated across time and location. Occurring in cultures in the Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican, Indian and the Arctic, the story of a devastating flood that destroyed most of the human race - as well as the few who were spared to recreate the world.
The most intriguing thing about the great flood myth is not the fact that it is so common, but the fact that the similarities in the stories are so rampant even among the civilizations that did not have any common contact. We shall see how this mythic legend has been variously manifested all over the world.
The Mesopotamian Flood: the Ark of Utnapishtim
The Biblical account is not the oldest on the record of floods in ancient Mesopotamia. In Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2100 BCE), the deities resolve to annihilate humankind because of its corruption and disturbance. The god Ea only warns Utnapishtim, a righteous man.
He constructs a huge boat, takes his family, craftsmen and animals and rides through the flood that destroys the rest of the human race. His ship is now on a mountain after the flood and to find dry ground he sets free birds, a fact which bears close relation to the story of the Noah of the Ark.
Mesopotamian flood had its purpose beyond punishment, the destruction and the renewal, the restoration of the moral and natural order through destruction like the reset of the world order.
Biblical Flood: Noah and his Covenant
Probably the most famous interpretation of the myth of the Great Flood is that of the Book of Genesis in the Bible. God, distinguishing the evilness of humankind, cleanses the Earth by means of a flood. He saves the righteous Noah and tells him to construct an ark and load it with his family and pairs of all the animal species.
The duration of the flood is forty days and nights, and at the end of the flood, the ark of Noah is on Mount Ararat.
The novel focuses on religious beliefs, loyalty and a sense of Godly forgiveness - the point that human beings could stumble, but that empathy and rejuvenation could be achieved through righteousness.
Manu and the Fish (Matsya Avatar): the Hindu Flood
The myth of the flood of Manu is very philosophical in the Indian antique mythology. The earliest man, Manu, is said to save a small fish (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). The fish tells him of a coming flood that is going to wipe the life out.
Manu constructs a big boat as instructed by the fish, collects seeds and animals. During the time of the flood, the fish also takes the boat through the Himalayan mountains safely.
The message of this version of the myth of the great flood is the message of dharma (righteousness) and divine guidance. The deluge symbolizes the annihilation of ignorance and the fact that Manu survived symbolizes the renewal of wisdom and order when the next cycle of creation begins.
The Chinese Flood: Yu the Great and how to Tame Waters
Chinese mythology did not represent the flood as a single disastrous phenomenon but as a struggle over the ages. The old books narrate about Gun and his son Yu who were to manage the floods that had flooded the earth.
Where Gun had failed, Yu the Great had obtained success by persistence and the genius of engineering. In order to keep the water in its course he excavated canals. The prosperity of the land was linked to his economic achievements which saw to it that the Xia Dynasty was founded as the very first legendary dynasty in China.
The Flood Myths of Native Americans
The myths of floods among the Native American tribes are diverse, yet they have some common themes of cleansing and rebirth.
Hopi narrates how the world was destroyed by floods as people lost the teachings of the Creator. Some righteous people lived through in reed boats and re-populated the Earth.
The Maya people of Central America thought that the gods had used a flood to erase an imperfect race of wooden people to clear the way to a new and more intelligent being.
The stories are full of reverence to the power of nature, a message to human beings that in case they forget to be in harmony with the natural world, nature replenishes them, usually by force.
Conclusion
The great flood legend is focused on the human experience of loss, cleansing and renewal, which is why the legend lives on. Noah and his belief, Manu and his righteousness, Yu and his persistence, all these tales teach us that destruction is never final, that is the first step to transformation.
In most cultures, the flood is a symbol of rebirth - to cleanse the corruption so that life has the strength to start afresh. The moral of the story is eternal: no matter how high the tide, hope always reigns--and mankind will be able to construct a new world, better and more vigorous than the old.
