Gilgamesh Vs Noah

The two short stories “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the Flood” have many similarities and also many differences. In the times when “The Epic of Gilgamesh” was written ancient Mesopotamians worshiped a pantheon of gods. There was no afterlife to look forward in this religion which leads Gilgamesh to find Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim had gained immortal life after surviving a horrendous flood and tells Gilgamesh the story of how it happened. “Noah and the Flood” is in the old testament meaning it is based more on Jewish belief. The story follows Noah as he survives through god’s wrath. Although these texts have vastly different backgrounds they are similar.

“The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the Flood” are synonymous. In both stories there is a humongous flood approaching

In “The Epic of Gilgamesh” there are multiple gods and the leader of the gods decides to slaughter the human race because “The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible by reason of babel.” (Gilgamesh 146) There is only one god in “Noah and the Flood” and his reasoning behind killing the human race is because he “regretted that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened.” (Noah 171) God warned Noah about the flood because he thought Noah was pure. Enlil was the one who destroyed mankind, but Ea warned Utnapishtim behind Enlil’s back. The flood lasted six days and six nights in “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” “When the seventh day dawned the storm from the south subsided, the sea grew calm, the flood was stilled.” (Gilgamesh 147) For Noah “the rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.” (Noah 173) Noah dies 350 years after the flood when he is 950 years old. Utnapishtim, however, is granted immortal life after Enlil gets angry he survived and the other gods talk him down and decide to gift him with immortal life. As can be seen there are multiple