The Billy Lids

The myth of the great flood can be found, in different versions, just about everywhere in the world. Its symbolic meaning is always the same.

The Bible is certainly the oldest known book with a compilation of texts. The stories which go to make it up were not, in fact, written in one go by a single author, and not in chronological order. What's more, the themes of some of these stories were borrowed or inspired by mythical legends, which already existed bofore the first authors began writing the first biblical stories, probably in the 9th century BC.

One hundred and fifty years ago when archaeological excavations were carried out in Iraq, thousands of clay tablets were found, on which are shown, in cuniform writing carved with a calamus (a reed or chisel with a sharpened point which the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians used to write with) historic, religious, mythical, poetic and literary stories. The oldest date from 3,000 years BC at least, which means they were carved in the clay about 5,000 years ago! One of them, which has traces of writing going back to 1,700 BC, is the oldest account of the flood.

The Oldest Account of The Flood

This mythical legend begins at a time when only the gods lived on Earth. The Anunnaki reigned and had in their service a class of lower gods, the Igigi, who worked in the fields and supplied all their needs. Now the Igigi rebelled and threatened to depose Enlik, the supreme god of the Anunnaki. Not knowing what to do, Enlil consulted Ea, his adviser, who suggested that he replace the Igigi with a new lower race, which would take care of all the work the Igigi no longer wished to take on: that is how the human race was born.

Man was created from the clay which is found in abundance in the region and, so that he would look like the Igigi, whom he was going to replace, this clay was moistened with the blood of one of them, who was sacrificed for the occasion. they did as they said, and man was created to be the slave of the gods.

The slaves carried out their work so well that they prospered and multiplied, making such a row that they ended up disturbing the peace of the Anunnaki. Furious, Enlil decided to get rid of this race of lesser beings, who were too restless, by bringing about an epidemic. But Ea, who was largely responsible for the creation of man, warned one of them, Atrahasis, so that he could save men from this peril. He was successful and everything went back to normal, which means that the same din continued.

Enlil, still just as furious, this time used drought to starve the men and cause them to perish. Once again Ea intervened and spoke to Atrahasis, who succeeded yet again in saving mankind from this new scourge. The life of men continued, but the row they made was increasing and this time, Enlil, at the end of his tether, chose a radical solution: he created a flood.

But Ea, ever watchful, warned Atrahasis in time with these words: you must, be told him, 'build a boat with a double bridge, firmly rigged, duly caulked, and sturdy', in which you 'will load provisions, furniture, treasures, wife, close relations and relatives and leaders, as well as domestic and wild animals'. After which, you will have nothing more to do than 'get into the boat and shut up its hatch'.

The story of the flood as it was written down 3,700 years ago:

"For six days and seven nights the storm raged.
Anzu (a gigantic divine bird of prey) tore up the sky with his talons: it was the flood, not doubt about it!
Not a thing could be seen anymore
And nothing was identifiable any more in this carnage!
The flood roared like an ox;
The wind whistled, like an eagle shrieking!
The darkness was impenetrable: there was no sun anymore!"

Whether the writers of the Bible were inspired by an older story, which they interpreted and changed in their own way, whether we are talking about Ea or Yahweh, Atrahasis or Noah, does not alter the symbolic content of the legend of the flood at all.

The Mesopotamians and the Hebrews were not the only ones to have written down their version of the flood. Similar accounts are found in other civilisations. In Indian mythology Vishnu, the supreme sun god of Hinduism, turns himself into a fash so that he is safe from the waves.

In Greek mythology, Zeus, judging that the Bronze Age men were a doomed race, decided to destroy them by creating a flood.

For the Mayans, the flood came from the pitcher which the goddess Ixchel poured over the world.