The Exploration of Flood Myths and How They Could Share the Same Origin (Essay Example)

Mark Twain states “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope…they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” A simple explanation, useful to philosophers alike, searching for answers within. Perhaps Twain found the reason behind why there are variations of seemingly the same ancient myths. Flood myths of similar sorts arise within the tellings of Noah’s Ark, Origination from the Newest version of the Roman Catholic Bible teachings, and Ovid and Hesiod's interpretations of The Flood Myths, in ancient Greek times. Ovid, Hesiod, and the Catholic Bible all develop the idea that a flood is to be set upon the world in order to strip them of impurity, those who are to be relieved of this burden have proven themselves to a higher being. Moreover, survivors are responsible for the restoration of a truly loyal human race. Although the myths are interchangeable, they may differ due to their origins in the Mediterranean areas.  

Zeus, unhappy with the result of his human creations, sets out a plan to have a flood wipe away the human race. Moreover, In The classical text of Ancient Greece (8th century BCE) Zeus, King of Greek gods, creates a flood to punish Lycaon, an early king of Arcadia, for his unforgivable acts. Lycaon commits murder and serves human flesh to Zeus as a means to murder him. This plot infuriates Zeus; so, he begins the punishment by turning Lycaon “whose impious treatment of [Zeus] precipitated the destruction of the world for its wickedness changed into a wolf.” (Miller 1916, 467) Lycaon is seen as a “representative of the whole corrupt, and an evil lot of [humans]” (Gill 2020) Then Zeus let out thunderbolts and “poured a great amount of heavy rain from the sky and flooded most of Hellas so that all men were destroyed.” Beginning with Lycaon’s home, a flood set out for nine days and nine nights, in order to regenerate a more ideal set of creatures to wander the earth.

Deucalion and Pyrrha became an exception to those terminated by the flood.  “the ideal pious married couple” (Gill 2020) were warned of the great floods by Deucalion’s father who told them to “build an ark, put supplies in it, and embark with Pyrrha” (Caldwell 1987) This ark that traveled throughout the flood, in which was brought by Zeus, provided safety to Deucalion, “his cousin-wife Pyrrha, the daughter of Prometheus’ brother Epimetheus and Pandora” (Gill 2020) After the fact, it was up to the couple to help create a new human race, beginning with them. With the help of Themis, “Zeus sent Hermes to him and ordered him to choose whatever he wished, and he chose to have men. Zeus told him to pick up stones and throw them over his head; those which Deukalion threw became men and those which Pyrrha threw became women” (Caldwell 1987) 

Furthermore, in the modern republication of the Catholic Bible [modified from text originating in the 3rd century BCE] God, father of Jesus and creator of the universe, states in Genesis 6:13-20 “'The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth…I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.” Comparatively, both Zeus and God are unsatisfied with their living creations of humans, they express their disappointment towards making something so pure and innocent, yet they formed into unimaginable beings. Aside from those chosen to survive and their families, humans became disobedient and lost their faith in worshipping their creators. Therefore, for the same reasons, a flood is brought from God. Except “God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals” in Genesis 8:1 So he instructs Noah to build a large ark and said in Genesis 6:13-20 “I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.” God commands for two of each animal, along with Noah’s family, with the thought of recreation. Each animal shall mate and reproduce for all generations to come while Noah became a second creation story, the first being Adam and Eve. The reason for this flood being that it is “essentially used for pointing a moral: that God set out to punish man for his incorrigible sins; but that he saved one family which was innocent, (Noah's), and that after the Flood a Covenant was made promising that the earth would never again be visited by such a catastrophe” (Mallowan 1964) The Catholic Bible tells of this flood lasting for forty days and forty nights. An equal amount of days and nights for each telling of the duration of the floods, although the Catholic Bible contains a longer stretch. 

Some Second Temple Jewish and early Christian scholars were of the opinion that Noah, [and] Deucalion…were the same person, and the various versions were all of a single ancient flood that affected the Mediterranean region. (Gill 2020) Additionally, many myths were told orally before being documented in writing. With that being said, the same stories, passed on from generation to generation, could unsurprisingly result in great variations of the same situations, whether that be in Rome or Greece or another part of the Mediterranean area. 

The idea developed within the myths of Ovid, Hesiod, and the Catholic Bible is that humans, over time, became corrupt and contaminated the earth; eventually, a god took action to create a flood. This flood was meant to strip human creation away in hopes replace them with a more pure being. Those who did remain on earth fulfilled their task of recreating what was lost in the flood or caring for what was left after the flood. Myths may travel in different types, depending on whose tongue they come off of. Therefore, these similarities could be due to alterations of a single story that was passed on to circle the world. Is it possible that Twain is correct in saying that there is no such thing as a new idea?

References 

Caldwell, Richard S. 1987. Hesiod's Theogony. Edited by Richard S. Caldwell. Translated by Richard S. Caldwell. N.p.: Focus Information Group.

Gill, N.S. "Ancient Greek Flood Myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/flood-myth-of-deucalion-and-pyrrha-119917 (accessed June 4, 2022).

Hiesberger, Jean M., ed. 2006. The Catholic Bible, Personal Study Edition: New American Bible. N.p.: Oxford University Press.

Mallowen, M.E.L. “Noah’s Flood Reconsidered.” Iraq Vol. 26, No. 2 (Autumn 1964): 62-82.

Miller, Frank J. 1916. Ovid Metamorphoses. Cambridge, Massachusets: London William Heinemann LTD.