Mythology

A detailed Summary of Mythology

Myths from many different cultures seem to tell the same story. Themes from Babylonian myth can be seen in Egyptian stories; elements of Christian theology are evident in some ancient Chinese texts, and so on. How is this possible? How can cultures that have had little physical contact present us with such analogous narratives? These questions grow more perplexing when time is considered. Many of these tales are not only from separate corners of the earth, but also seem to have been written in vastly disparate time periods. This being said, it is still a fact that these cultures do rely on a number of shared stories. The hero exists universally; and often shares a number of elements across cultural boundaries. All cultures have a creation story. Many also possess a mother goddess who relates to fertility. These seemingly universal tales all share one significant element: they answer a fundamental question. How did we get here? Why do our fields yield us a bountiful harvest one season and leave us to starve the next? However, there is one common tale that does not answer any such question- the flood myth. This tale is told around the world, but the reason for its commonality is not as clear. Both the Christian and the Babylonian cu

ltures recount to us a story of a great flood. These stories possess many similar ideas, but also differ in numerous ways.

As the flood begins each man is warned that it will soon be time to board his boat. However, the amount of time each man is given to prepare varies considerably between the two stories. Noah is given seven days to load all of the animals onto the ark, while Shamash comes to Utnapishtim and tells him that the Rider of the Storm will be coming that same night to begin the flood. The duration of the flood is also very different. In the Christian description of the flood, it was said that it lasted forty days and forty nights, not the single week as was stated in the Babylonian account. The Babylonian story also states that the assistance of the gods of the Underworld was procured to help release the waters of the flood. Yahweh is able to create the flood entirely on his own. This emphasizes his place as the one true Christian god. Christianity emphasizes the supremacy of Yahweh as the only true divinity. This story is one of a number from the Bible that acts to illustrate his absolute power over the earth. However, Babylonian religious beliefs do not take this monotheistic view. The Babylonian story also states that the flood was so frightful that even the gods of the heavens were in fear of what the gods of the Underworld were doing, and that they retreated to the highest level of the heavens. In the Hebrew description of the flood it was God's fury that man was suffering, Lucifer was in no way involved, as man had brought this punishment upon himself with his own iniquity.

As man returns to dry land he chooses to express thanks to the gods for safeguarding he and his family from the torrents of the flood. Utnapishtim and Noah both make a sacrifice to illustrate how thankful they are. In the Babylonian account of the myth, Utnapishtim makes a sacrifice to the gods after freeing all of the people and animals from the boat. All the gods came to his sacrifice. Ishtar proclaims that all of the gods should remember the anguish caused by the flood. She then calls all of the gods, except Enlil, to her side. Enlil was barred from the sacrifice because it is he that brought about the deluge. Enlil still manages to find the sacrifice and is infuriated that Utnapisht

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Approximate Word count = 1547
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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