The Function of Myth within Noahs and Uta-napishtims Stories: A Comparative Analysis of the Deluge in Genesis 6-9 and the Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet XI

Natan Setiawan Gultom(1*),

(1) 
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


Ancient stories which depict similarities in their details of the narrative can be found in various cultures and civilization. Two stories that look similar to each other are the ancient text of The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical book of Genesis. The deluge, observed in both stories, seems to have an impact towards the ever-famous discussion of which story is more authentic. This article gives a comparative analysis of both stories. The aim of this study does not concern with such discussions, rather arguing how both stories, after investigating the similarities and differences, generates a mythwhich may come from a factual historyfor their respective people and culture, preserving cultural history, rational conducts, and religious rituals of each culture concerned.

Keywords: Genesis, Epic of Gilgamesh, Noah, Utanapishtim, Ancient Text, Mythology


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References


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Hamilton, Victor P. 1990. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Isaak, Mark. September 2002. Flood Stories from Around the World. The TalkOrigins Archive, 2 September.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html. Accessed on 26 September 2019.

Kovaks, Maureen G. 1998. Tablet XI The Story of The Flood. The Epic of Gilgamesh, Academy of Ancient Text https://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab11.htm. Accessed on 26 September 2019.

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Sweeney, Marvin. 2012. Genesis in the Context of Jewish Thought. In Evans, Craig A.; Lohr, Joel N. (eds). The Book of Genesis: Composition, Reception, and Interpretation. Boston: BRILL.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/ijels.v5i1.2312

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