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Tales of the Great Flood

© Linda Bond

Why do the major cultures of the Earth all tell the story of a great flood that wiped out most of humanity and animals as well? And why do most of them draw a connection between the flood and an angry God or gods who sent the flood as punishment for the evil and violence of mankind? There are probably as many opinions about the "whys" of the flood stories as there are stories, but one thing is clear: People, even in Peru, know that floods can cause major devastation and are to be feared.

Noah Built an Ark

The Noah account in the Bible is the story that is most familiar to Westerners acquainted with Christian tradition. You remember...Noah built an ark that carried 2 (or 7) of each animal as well as his family so they would be saved from the deluge that would destroy all the world. When I was growing up, I found it a bit too much to believe that any boat could carry that many animals, let alone the mosquitos, crickets, and mealy bugs! So, I personally don't accept the story as told in Sunday School. But I do believe there was a flood big enough to cover the "known" world of Noah.

The Other Great Floods

What I find truly amazing is the stories that come from other great cultures. In many ways, so similar, yet also unique. Take Hawaii, for instance. Before Christian influence, they seem to have had a story about the great flood -- the Kai-a-ka-hina-li'i -- which left two people stranded on top of the peak of Mauna Kea.

Then there is the story from the Peruvian Incas. When two shepherd brothers were warned by their llamas that a great flood was coming, they hid away in a great cave. As it rained and the flood waters rose, the mountain in which they were hiding kept growing higher and kept them above the flood. After the flood, the shepherds and their families repopulated the earth, but the llamas always preferred to stay in the highlands because they remembered the flood. Smart llamas!

A Ship Is a Ship - Or Is It?

The Aztec, who had a myth about the great flood before the Europeans arrived with their version, believed that Tata and Nena were saved because they were instructed to hollow out a great log for a boat. In Greece, the son of Prometheus -- Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, were placed in a large wooden chest. They landed on Mount Parnassus after the flood which was caused when it rained for nine days and nine nights. In Babylon, Utnaphistim was warned to build a great ship, in which he took animals and his family. This boat landed on Mount Nisir in the north.

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