Epic Of Gilgamesh Comparison Essay
Cultures across the globe have stories of a deity creating a flood to kill off the cruel race that is humanity. Two of the oldest stories are the Old Testament and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Since being written in similar regions and times, there are stark similarities between them. However, despite these similarities, there are some surprising differences. Firstly, the cause was similar in both Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh. In both stories, the God or gods brought the flood as punishment for the sins of mankind. The God of the Hebrews, saw the “wickedness” of his creation and decided that he must destroy it. However, there was one man, Noah, whom God spared. He told Noah of the coming flood, and instructed him to build an ark for him,
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For instance, the ark in Genesis was three-hundred cubits long and thirty cubits high. This supposedly would have provided enough room for two of every species of animal. However, the dimensions of the ark in Gilgamesh were slightly different. The ark was ten dozen cubits high, had 6 decks, and one acre of floor space. Therefore, the ark from mesopotamian myth was much taller than the Hebrew ark. Another difference would be the timeframe of the flooding. In Genesis, the flood was caused by springs and by rain; it lasted 40 days and nights. In contrast, in Gilgamesh the flood came from rain only and lasted 6 days and nights. A final difference was the ending. After the rain had stopped both survivors sent out birds to search for dry land, however, the species differed. In Genesis, Noah sent out a raven, and a dove. The raven and the first dove, both returned because there was no place to land, for the earth was covered in water. Next he sent out the dove again, but this time it returned with an olive leaf. Then Noah waited a week, and sent out the dove again, only this time it never returned. In contrast, Utnapishtim sent out a dove, swallow, and a raven. First he sent the dove, which later returned like the swallow afterwards. Finally, Utnapishtim sent the Raven, which never
For instance, the ark in Genesis was three-hundred cubits long and thirty cubits high. This supposedly would have provided enough room for two of every species of animal. However, the dimensions of the ark in Gilgamesh were slightly different. The ark was ten dozen cubits high, had 6 decks, and one acre of floor space. Therefore, the ark from mesopotamian myth was much taller than the Hebrew ark. Another difference would be the timeframe of the flooding. In Genesis, the flood was caused by springs and by rain; it lasted 40 days and nights. In contrast, in Gilgamesh the flood came from rain only and lasted 6 days and nights. A final difference was the ending. After the rain had stopped both survivors sent out birds to search for dry land, however, the species differed. In Genesis, Noah sent out a raven, and a dove. The raven and the first dove, both returned because there was no place to land, for the earth was covered in water. Next he sent out the dove again, but this time it returned with an olive leaf. Then Noah waited a week, and sent out the dove again, only this time it never returned. In contrast, Utnapishtim sent out a dove, swallow, and a raven. First he sent the dove, which later returned like the swallow afterwards. Finally, Utnapishtim sent the Raven, which never