Comparing and contrasting the Epic of Gilgamesh to the story of Genesis in the Bible
The flood stories of Genesis and Gilgamesh are very similar but also have their differences. In the flood story of Genesis, the name of the hero is Noah. In Gilgamesh, the hero is Utnapishtim. Noah's call to adventure was a message from God, and Utnapishtim's call was because of a dream he had.
Both heroes were ordered to build a boat, and they both complained. Although both Noah and Utnapishtim's boats held all species of animals, Noah's boat had the animals and his family members. Utnapishtim's boat held family members and a few other outsiders. The flood in the story of Genesis was 40 days, however the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh was only 6. To find land, both Noah and Utnapishtim let out birds. Both men were blessed after the flood. Utnapishtim was granted eternal life while Noah was to multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over the animals. I think these stories may be similar because they were told down to the next generation and at one time it was the same story that everyone was telling but then people started to change minor details of the story and it ended up becoming a whole different story.
Sources:
http://www.icr.org/article/noah-flood-gilgamesh/
Institute Creation Research - The flood of Noah and the flood of Gilgamesh
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