Epic Of Gilgamesh Creation Story Essay

The creation story, along with many other stories of the bible are not clear black and white of what can be considered right and wrong. This grey area is not only present in the story of Noah and the ark but also in other accounts such as, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Many scholars hold a belief that the story of Noah found in Genesis 6-9 and the Epic of Gilgamesh found in Israelite literature are accounts that have significant parallels. In the beginning of each story, the one deity or the gods felt that the world they had created had become corrupt and unjust allowing for them to feel as if they needed to end mankind. In Genesis 6-9, God notices the righteousness of Noah, allowing for him and his three sons to be spared from what he had planned …show more content…
Interestingly there is confusion as to when the flood actually takes place. In the first account, Noah, his three sons, and their wives seek refuge on the ark seven days prior to the flood (Gen. 7:7-10). Conversely, the second account, simply states that on the day Noah and all his passengers entered the ark, the waters of the flood came upon them. But they do include what day the flood happened, the seventeenth day of the second month, giving readers a better idea of when the flood actually took place (Gen. 7:11-16). In both accounts in Genesis 6-9, it can be concluded that the deity created the flood that overcame the earth drowning all wicked creatures. The Epic of Gilgamesh presents a different day of when the flood began, according to Ut-napishtim, at dawn on the eight day a black cloud came from the horizon thundering. Upon this cloud, rode the lord of the storm, Adad (Sanders, 21). While the book of Genesis struggles with which day the flood begins, it still contradicts what the Epic of Gilgamesh presents to readers. The parallel that should be noted, is that in both stories, the God or gods are what created the flood ending the