The Flood (Deluge)
The gods resolve to drown humankind — and one warned man builds a boat to carry life through the deluge.
The Flood is Mesopotamia's most famous myth. The gods, disturbed by humankind, resolve to wipe it out with a deluge; but the wise god Enki/Ea warns one righteous man — Ziusudra in Sumerian, Atrahasis and Utnapishtim in Akkadian — to build a great boat and load it with his family, craftsmen, and animals. The flood rages, humanity is destroyed, and the survivor emerges to offer a sacrifice over which the gods, who have gone hungry without offerings, gather eagerly. Granted survival, the hero is set apart. The tale appears in several Mesopotamian works and is, with creation, the most discussed of all ancient Near Eastern parallels to the Bible.
Key passages(2)
…… sets up ……. I will …… the perishing of my mankind; for Nintur, I will stop the annihilation of my creatures, and I will return the people from their dwelling grounds. Let them build many cities so
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After the flood had swept over and brought about the destruction of the countries; when mankind was made to endure, and the seed of mankind was preserved and the black-headed people all rose; when An
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