Compare And Contrast Gilgamesh And Noah

The Epic of Gilgamesh is very similar to the flood story in the bible known as, "Noah's Ark." When people tell me or ask me about the Epic of Gilgamesh I automatically assume they are talking about the flood in the bible. Mostly every Christian was taught about Noah's Ark, and most have no clue what the Epic of Gilgamesh is, like me. It makes you wonder and have questions like the video of the Epic of Gilgamesh says, "who had it first, the Mesopotamian's or the biblical world?" Also, how is it even possible that there are other flood stories that might be thousands of years older than the bible. Did the writer of Genesis plagiarize? The writer could have possibly known about the Epic of Gilgamesh since some say it was written down before the book of Genesis. Here are some similarities and differences of the two stories.
The similarities of the two floods are, that the extent of the floods were global, Utnapishtim and Noah were both ordered to build a boat. The boats were very similar, one door, at least one window, many compartments, and had all species of animals on there. Also, they both sent out birds to test and find land, and were both blessed after the flood. These similarities are what make people wonder if the writer of Genesis plagiarized the story of the flood, but there are also some differences.

In Genesis, Noah was directed from God and in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim's means of announcement was in a dream. Even though they both sent out birds to test to find land they sent out different birds and amounts. Noah sent out a raven and three doves, and Utnapishtim sent out a dove, a swallow, and a raven. Also, the durations were different. Genesis was a long forty days and forty nights, and in Gilgamesh it was a short six days and six