Comparing Utnapishtim And Noah s Ark - 1148 Words

Those living had built a structure that would carry them over days and nights. Some among many survive a great flood. Birds were sent to indicate if the flood had dissipated. These are some of the many moments that symbolize intrical points which maneuver the stories along. All of these items and ideas bear similarity with two well-known myths, the story of Utnapishtim and Noah’s Ark. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the story of Utnapishtim and the flood that is reminiscent of the Biblical account of Noah and the flood, both utilize symbolism of the flood, the structure to survive the flood, and the birds to establish the theme that though beings are destructive, some will thrive and flourish. The flood is one of the many symbols that help the†¦show more content†¦He chose to do so once he knew that Noah was an acceptable being and through the rebirth of other humans he thought that they could achieve the same behavior that Noah and his family represented. So not all homosapiens are evil and deserve to live. The ark is another symbol that contributes to the theme that though humans are intolerable, there are people who are righteous. This is demonstrated in The Epic of Gilgamesh when the god Ea tells Utnapishtim to â€Å"‘tear down’ his ‘house and build a boat’†(108), and then proceeds to inform him of â€Å"‘the measurements of the barque as’ he ‘shall build her’†(108). The god Ea further details him to â€Å"‘take up into the boat of all living creatures’†(108). Utnapishtim listens and â€Å"loaded into her all that’ he ‘had of gold and of living things’, his ‘family’, his ‘kin, the beast of the field both wild and tame, and all the craftsmen’†(109). The ark symbolizes safety and security. The ark itself would protect themselves and ensure that there would be no danger. These living beings are the only ones who survive. If the god Ea were to choose someone righteous to live, he would choose Utnapishtim and his family, otherwise, he wouldn’t have told Utnapishtim about the upcoming flood. In the Bible, God tells Noah to â€Å"‘make’ himself ‘an ark of cypress wood’† and tells him of the content and measurements(New International Version, Genesis 6.14 -Show MoreRelated Two Great Floods - The Bible and Epic of Gilgamesh Essay776 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome evil God chooses Noah and his family to start a new beginning. In the Bible God becomes regretful of creating mankind because he sees that they are wicked and they only have evil thoughts. The Lord decides, he will destroy human beings I made on earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth. I will also destroy the birds of the air. (Genesis 6:7) After God makes his decision to create a great flood he chooses Noah to build an ark to save his family andRead More Comparing the Epic of Gilgamesh Flood Myth and Book of Genesis Biblical Flood Myth1792 Words   |  8 PagesComparing the Gilgamesh and Genesis Floods      Ã‚  Ã‚   The rendition of the historic, worldwide Flood recorded in Genesis of the Old Testament is similar to the account recorded on Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh, discovered in the 1800’s by British archaeologists in Assyria. Let us compare the two in this essay.    Alexander Heidel in his book, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, provides a background for the survivor of the Sumero-Babylonian