The Flood
The great deluge narrative appearing across multiple traditions.
“And the Lord said, 'I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created, for I am sorry that I have made them.'”
“And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them for a thousand years minus fifty years. And the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers.”
“The rain started beating down upon the earth... All day long the wind carried the great flood, coming upon the mountain lands.”
Mesopotamian precursor to Genesis account
“The great fish Matsya appeared to warn Manu of the coming deluge and guided him to safety.”
“When the Buddha contemplated the rise and fall of the world through cycles of creation and destruction.”
Cyclical destruction and renewal
“The gods decreed destruction upon mankind through flood and pestilence. Enuma Elish and other flood myths describe similar patterns of divine judgment and renewal.”
“Before the flood, kings ruled for great spans of years. After the flood, the kingship was lowered from heaven, marking a new age of humanity.”