Flood Myths:
I have read somewhere that myths help us to deal
with the 'needs, problems, and concerns of the human body.' While this
might be an oversimplification, I do agree that from the tooth fairy to
death, we use myth to assure our existence, to encourage us to continue,
and to explain troubling questions of existence. Origin myths often answer
such questions as "How was the earth created?" "How did humanity
arise?" "Why do people die?" Some of the most popular flood myths
look at these questions in an interesting way.
Almost all geologists discount as impossible the
flood motif found in many myths (a world-wide flood that destroys most
of mankind). Geologists point out that such a flood would have to cover
the earth with water miles deep, and that such a catastrophic occurrence
would leave very clear and obvious evidence, and there is no such evidence
in the geologic record.
Despite the lack of any credible scientific evidence,
the flood myth motif can be found in many
cultures around the world. Folklorists often compare the specifics
of such parallel myths to determine whether the myth or motif are the result
of polygenesis (the same motif independently occurs because mankind is
psychologically the same) or monogenesis (one or just a few origins of
the myth or motif, and these are spread through contact/diffusion). As
a worthwhile look into textual comparison and polygenesis vs diffusion,
you might want to read a Mesopotamian
creation epic from the 27th century BCE and compare it to the Hebrew
flood myth in the Bible from the 10th century BCE (Genesis, Chapters
6.7, and 8). If you do read both myths, try to answer the following questions:
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How might one explain the existence of the same flood
motif in cultures separated geographically or chronically?
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How might one explain the popularity of the flood
motif around the world?
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After reading the Mesopotamian and Hebrew flood myths,
what explanations can you offer for the similarities and differences in
the myths?
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According to Joseph Campbell, it is the metaphor,
not the specific story that contains the metaphor, that is most deserving
of our attention. If so, what might the metaphor of the flood represent?
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If myth also helps one to deal with the limits of
the physical body, what human fears or concerns might be addressed by the
flood myths?
