Gilgamesh I and XI / Genesis 6-9

In the epic of Gilgamesh it is told that a huge flood had nearly destroyed the entire world. The greater gods had been unsatisfied with Earth but one god had made a boat which preserved life. While in the Bible there is only one God and worshipping anything else would be a sin, in the epic of Gilgamesh it seems there are an abundant number of gods, each with their own forte.

On the other hand, there are many similarities between this story and the story of Noah's ark. What is the significance that both of these stories of origins, both of these stories involving some greater being(s) discontent with the world and attempting to purify via flood? As I have stated in my first post, this could be for a number of reasons. Water, while having the ability of being extremely destructive, is also associated with life. Second, perhaps this can be seen as a cleansing of the world.

It is an interesting note that both stories have "flood stories" and how the two are so similiar. Both involve building ships with the most specific requirements, and sending out birds to survey the land.