It is not a secret that humanity is very interested in such questions as: “Where did we come from? And when?” Mankind tries to find the answer to these important questions. It is a universal truth that there is a great number of tales and stories which transmits from one generation to another generation. And such ancient works as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis in the Bible and The Metamorphoses of Ovid are such shining examples.
In these books, the flood interpretation has a very deep meaning and pays attention to many people during much time. Though these three interpretations of flood are separated in some details and have been written at different times, but they have also similarities. And they are very important for all generations up to this day. And we can make a parallel between them.
The most significant similarity in these stories is their plot. And there is one approval that Genesis in the Bible was written on the basis of The Epic of Gilgamesh, or vice versa. “Noah’s Ark is based on the story of Utnapishtim’s flood” (Lawal 657). And it is not surprising, because these two stories and we can add to them The Metamorphoses of Ovid, are very similar.
So, the aim of these three stories was to warn the next generations to be moral, kind, not violent, in order not to ruin their lives.
The one similarity in all these three stories is the symbol of the water as the purification of the land from the evil and the resolution to a new generation to live without crime, harm, but only in love and peace. That is why in three stories the flood is the symbol of rebirth and renovation. To my mind, this is the main similarity which gives rise to understanding that these stories differs only in some small and insignificant details.
The similarity is in the reason of the beginning of the flood. In all these stories gods were not satisfied with the humanity. In The Epic of Gilgamesh the god decides to destroy mankind because they are very loud, numerous, and people prevent him from sleeping. In Genesis in the Bible the god makes up his mind to renew the world because people became very angry, crafty and cruel, and lawlessness dominated the earth. God pointed out that people were sinful. In The Metamorphoses of Ovid the god destroys the generation because of their disobedience and immorality. The author writes that Jupiter decides to punish the humanity, because they do not respect him, and Lycaon even has tried to kill him. And they implement their plan with the help of the flood.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh the god saves Utnapishtim’s family and allows him to build the ark and take with him somebody who is eager to come with him. In Genesis in the Bible the god allows Noah and his family to build the ark, and then he asks him to bring two creatures of both sexes and six species of each clean animal. In The Metamorphoses of Ovid Deucalion and Pyrrha become the survivals, because the god has mercy on them. All these people were warned beforehand about the gods’ plan to send a great flood. And the main reason why the gods have chosen these people is their great respect to the gods, their decency, and their obedience. And these three families seemed to have a right to be near God during the great flood. And they are the symbols of the best in mankind. And by doing this, the gods give the world and the human race to survive.
To my mind, these three stories have a great opportunity to prove us that we are the descendants of Utnapishtim, Noah and Deucalion. And we must follow their examples in order to live with our families, relatives and the surrounding in welfare and peace. As Ovid writes, the two people, who has survived, “throw stones over each of his and her shoulder. The stones that Deucalion throw become men, and the ones that Pyrrha toss, turn into women” (Ovid 557).
As in Genesis in the Bible is written: “When the rain stops, “the water [prevails] upon the earth for one hundred and fifty days”(Bible 7:24). “After ten months, the mountain tops [become] visible” (Bible 8:5). “At the end of one year, one month, and twenty- seven days, Noah, his family, and the various animals exit the ark” (Bible 8:13-18).
To cap it all, I can say that the flood interpretation in these three tales: The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis in the Bible and The Metamorphoses of Ovid has some differences and similarities, which everybody can observe at once. And the thing is that these three stories were written at different times, with their own techniques of writing. But the main thing which combines these three works is to convey the one idea. My point of view is that all the generations have to evaluate these works with great respect for them.
Works Cited
Lawal, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. W. W. Norton & Company; 2nd edition, 2003. Print.
The Holy Bible. Good News Publishers/Crossway Books, 2007. Print.
Ovid, The Metamorphoses. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co.1993. Print.