The Epic of Gilgamesh vs. Noah and the Flood
Uploaded by malibuc2004 on Oct 29, 2001
In both “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the flood”, a flood takes place. The flood in both stories destroys most of mankind. These floods are a symbol. They represent rebirth and a new beginning for mankind, as well as the gods or God's wrath.
In the epic of Gilgamesh the gods decided to destroy mankind by flooding earth for six days and nights. Utnapishtim was chosen to build a boat in order to restart mankind after the flood. “In Noah and the Flood”, God decided that there was too much evil in the world and decided to flood Earth for “forty days and forty nights”. God Chose Noah to build an ark to save 2 of each animal and restart mankind after the flood. In both The Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Bible, a story of a great flood occurs. These stories compare and contrast in several significant ways.
In both stories mankind was exterminated because things were getting to chaotic. In Gilgamesh the god Enlil's reason for wanting to destroy man was very self-centered. His reason was "the uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible". The other gods agreed with this. In the Bible, God also saw how the wickedness of man had taken over earth.
Utnapishtim was chosen to survive the great flood out of pure luck by the god Ea. Noah was the only man on earth who found grace in the eyes of God, and was really good. Because of this, God came to warn him about the flood and told him to build the ark. They each approached their Journey by building a large boat, and bringing their family and two of every flesh being onto the boat. Utnapishtim's boat was ‘two hundred feet tall, with six stories”. Noah's ark was “thirty cubits high, and three stories tall”. They each survived by staying in the boat during the whole flood, until it was over. From the god Ea, Utnapishtim was rewarded eternal life. Noah was blessed by God and was rewarded all earth's flesh as food for him and his family.
In conclusion “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and the “Noah and the Flood” both had different reasons for sending the flood to kill mankind, but they both had very similar outcomes. The flood in both stories symbolizes the rebirth of the world, a new beginning for mankind, and the gods or God’s wrath....