Subject: deluge and flood myths from around the world
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 1994 03:16:02 GMT
Here is a summary of all the flood myths I know about. I'm sure it is far from complete. If anyone else knows of other myths (and has specific references for them) I would be glad to hear about them.
=== Flood Stories from Around the World ===
Roman:
[Greek] "Many great deluges have taken place during the nine thousand years." [Plato, "Critias" 111]
Scandinavian:
None.
Middle Eastern generally:
In this region, it is common to believe that the earth was originally covered with water, and that there is now a layer of water beneath the earth. Hebrews also have a layer of water above the earth.
Hebrew:
Noah's Flood: Water from above and below for 40 days; Noah and seven others, plus all kinds of animals, survive for about a year on an ark; they finally land on a mountain.
Sumerian:
The gods agreed to cleanse the earth of humanity, but Utnapishtim was warned in a dream. He and some craftsmen built a large boat (one acre in area, seven decks) in a week. He then loaded it with his family, the craftsmen, and "the seed of all living creatures." The waters of the abyss rose up, and it stormed for six days. The waters covered everything but the top of the mountain Nisur, where the boat landed. Seven days later, the waters had receeded enough to emerge. Utnapishtim and his wife were given immortality and lived at the end of the earth.
Sharur destroyed Asag, demon of sickness and disease, by flooding his abode. In the process, "The primeval waters of Kur rose to the surface, and as a result of their violence no fresh waters could reach the fields and gardens." [Kramer, p. 105]
Zoroastrian:
"After Ahura Mazda has warned Yima that destruction in the form of winter, frost, and floods, subsequent to the melting of the snow, are threatening the sinful world, he proceeds to instruct him to build a _vara_, 'fortress or estate,' in which specimens of small and large cattle, human beings, dogs, birds, red flaming fires, plants and foodstuffs will have to be deposited in pairs." [Kramer, p. 344]
"Beneath this earth there is water everywhere." [Kramer, p. 339]
Kikuyu:
The old spirits destroyed a town by flooding it with beer, while the inhabitants took refuge in caverns nearby.
!Kung:
None. The very idea is ludicrous.
China:
A 22-year-long flood, caused by the water god Gong Gong, drove people to mountains and treetops. The supernatural hero Gun dammed up the waters with Growing Soil stolen from heaven.
Australian:
None.
North American Indians generally:
The primordial environment is for almost all tribes a watery one, from which different beings bring up mud to make the earth. [Erdoes & Ortiz, p. 75]
Haida (Queen Charlotte Is., British Columbia):
The tide just kept rising until it covered all but the highest mountains. The people saved themselves on rafts.
Northern California Coast:
Humans and animals were all washed away by a flood which covered everything. Later, the gods recreated them.
Cheyenne:
One particularly hard winter had "great floods" in addition to earthquakes and volcanoes.
Yuma:
Komashtam'ho cause a great rain and started to flood out the large dangerous animals, but he was persuaded that people needed some of the animals for food. He evaporated the waters with a great fire, turning the land to desert in the process.
Pima:
A great green wall of water roared down the valley and destroyed everything in it. Szeukha, Earth maker's son, rescued a few people from the great eagle, who had kidnapped them earlier and kept them in his nest.
Papago:
Coyote and Montezuma survived, in their separate crafts, a flood which covered all the land They met again on the top of Monte Rosa, which rose above the flood waters.
Caddo (Okalhoma, Arkansas):
Four monsters grew large and powerful until they were high enough to touch the sky. One man heard a voice telling him to plant a hollow reed. He did so, and it quickly grew very big. He, his wife, and pairs of all good animals entered the reed. Waters rose to cover everything but the top of the reed and the heads of the monsters. Turtle destroyed the monsters by digging under them and uprooting them. The waters subsided, and winds dried the earth.
Sioux:
Unktehi, a water monster, fought the people and caused a great flood. The people retreated to a hill, but the water swept over them, killing them all. The blood jelled and turned to pipestone. Unktehi was also turned to stone; her bones are in the Badlands now. A giant eagle, Wanblee Galeshka, swept down, saved one girl from the flood, and made her his wife.
In another version, the thunderbirds fought and defeated Unktehi and her children before the waters washed over the highest mountain.
Mayan:
The gods used a flood to destroy the wooden people, an early imperfect version of humanity.
Makiritare (Venezuela):
The Star people listened to Jaguar and killed and ate a woman. Kuamachi wanted to punish them, but they were too many and too powerful. He invited them to help in picking _dewaka_ fruit. They came, and while they were eating friut, Kuamachi dropped one fruit. Water came out of it, spread, and caused a flood. Kuamachi and his grandfather stayed in a canoe; they got bows and arrows and shot the people who were helpless in the trees. The people fell down into the water below, which was infested with dangerous animals. Kuamachi and his grandfather ran out of arrows before shooting Wlaha, the leader of the Star people. He had caught seven arrows. He shot them into heaven, making a ladder which he, the surviving Star people, and finally Kuamachi ascended to become stars.
References:
Abrahams, Roger D. _African Folktales_, Random House, New York, 1983.
de Civrieux, Marc. transl. by David M. Guss. _Watunna, An Orinoco Creation
Cycle_, North Point Press, 1980.
Eliade, Mircea. _Australian Religions_, Cornell Univ. Press, London, 1973.
Erdoes, Richard and Alfonso Ortiz. _American Indian Myths and Legends_,
Pantheon Books, New York. 1984.
Kramer, Samuel Noah (ed.). _Mythologies of the Ancient World_, Anchor
Books, Garden City, NY. 1961.
Plato. transl. by B. Jowett. _The Dialogues of Plato, vol. 2_, Random
House, New York, 1892, 1920.
Sandars, N. K. (transl.(?)). _The Epic of Gilgamesh_, Penguin Books, Ltd.,
Harmondsworth, England, 1972.
Sturluson, Snorri. transl. by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, _The Prose Edda_,
Oxford University Press, London, 1929.
Tedlock, Dennis (transl.). _Popol Vuh_, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1985.
Walls, Jan & Walls, Yvonne. _Classical Chinese Myths_, Joint Publishing
Co., Hongkong, 1984.
--