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Eridu Genesis
The Sumerian Flood Story (also known as the Eridu Genesis, The Flood Story, Sumerian Creation Myth, Sumerian Deluge Myth) is the oldest Mesopotamian text relating the tale of the Great Flood which would appear in later works such as the Atrahasis...

Article
The Atrahasis Epic: The Great Flood & the Meaning of Suffering
The Atrahasis is the Akkadian/Babylonian epic of the Great Flood sent by the gods to destroy human life. Only the good man, Atrahasis (his name translates as `exceedingly wise') was warned of the impending deluge by the god Enki (also known...

Definition
Mythology
Myths are a part of every culture in the world and are used to explain natural phenomena, where a people came from and how their civilization developed, and why things happen as they do. At their most basic level, myths comfort by giving...

Definition
Noah's Ark
Noah’s Ark is the boat that saved a generation of humans and animals when the God of Israel decided to destroy the human race by sending a great flood upon the earth. The story shares many elements with ancient, neighboring civilizations...

Article
The Myth of Etana
The Myth of Etana is the story of the Sumerian antediluvian King of Kish who ascends to heaven on an eagle to request the Plant of Birth from the gods so that he might have a son. Etana is named as the first king of Kish in the Sumerian King...

Article
The Myth of Adapa
The Myth of Adapa (also known as Adapa and the Food of Life) is the Mesopotamian story of the Fall of Man in that it explains why human beings are mortal. The god of wisdom, Ea, creates the first man, Adapa, and endows him with great intelligence...

Definition
Noah
Noah is considered one of the patriarchs in the Jewish Scriptures or one of the founding fathers of what became the religion of Judaism. His story begins in Genesis 6 and consists of three elements: the evil of the earth; the flood narrative...

Video
Ancient Flood Legends and Stories from Around the World
Although the biblical story of Noah’s Ark is the best known, numerous cultures all around the globe and throughout history have developed their own versions of the flood myth, with the oldest one being the Eridu Genesis, also known as the...

Article
The Unicorn Myth
The unicorn, a mythical creature popularized in European folklore, has captivated the human imagination for over 2,000 years. For most of that time, well into the Middle Ages, people also believed them to be real. The roots of the unicorn...

Image
Flood at Port-Marly by Sisley
An 1876 oil on canvas, Flood at Port-Marly, by Alfred Sisley (1839-1899), the Franco-British impressionist painter. The artist produced a series of six canvases capturing the flooding of the Seine at Port-Marly, a catastrophe that occurred...