Flood Legends (15 page)

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking of every clean animal and of every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled the pleasing odor, and the Lord said to Himself: "Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the devisings of man's mind are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done.

So long as the earth endures,

Seedtime and harvest,

Cold and heat,

Summer and winter,

Day and night

Shall not cease."

God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fertile and increase, and fill the earth. The fear and the dread of you shall be upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky — everything with which the earth is astir — and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand. Every creature that lives shall be yours to eat; as with the green grasses, I give you all these…."

God further said, "This is the sign that I set for the covenant between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for all the ages to come. I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh…. That," God said to Noah, "shall be the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on earth."
²

The Flood According to The Mahābhārata

Vaśampāyana said:

"Then the mighty Pāņdava said to Mārkaņdeya, 'Tell me, I implore, the life of Manu-Vaivasvata.'

"Mārkaņdeya said, 'There was a glorious king of the Ŗsis, son of Vivasvata, who was a prominent man with a brilliance equal to that of Prajāpati. Exceeding the brilliance of his own father and grandfather with vigor, splendor, fortune, and, above all, piety, Manu the king, standing in the garden of penance on one foot with his extensive arms raised, performed completely and passionately the greatest of all pious rituals, the
tapas
. So with his head hung down and his eyes unblinking, he performed this frightful penance for a thousand years, bearing wet clothes and matted hair.

" 'Once, having come to the bank of the river, a fish said the following speech: "O Lord, I am just a little fish, and I am very much afraid of the other fish. You are respectable, and will protect me. The mighty fish eat, in particular, the feeble fish. This is common practice." …Manu-Vaivasvata, having heard the words of the fish, was filled with compassion, and drew out the fish with his own hands onto the shore of the river. Manu placed the moon-colored fish into a small jar. The fish grew, and during this time, he was treated with the same honor as Manu's own son.

" 'With time, the great fish grew bigger in the small jar of water, and, assuredly, spoke to Manu, "Virtuous Lord, you have looked over me with care. Grant me that I may live in comfort and peace." Then the illustrious Manu, conqueror of cities, drew the fish from the jar, and placed the fish into a reservoir.
³
Again, many years passed.

" 'The reservoir was two
yojas
⁴
in length, and one
yoja
in width, and was not enough room for the fish to move, O Lord.
⁵
Manu, having seen the fish, was again spoken to: "My Lord, throw me into the Chief Wife of the Ocean. There, in the Ganges, I will reside as your son."

" 'Thus, having heard the fish, Manu, the self-controlled lord, threw the fish into the Ganges. There, over time, the fish grew and, having seen Manu again, said, "Truly, Lord, having grown here in the Ganges, I am unable to move. Place me in the sea, my Lord."

" 'Having drawn the fish from the waters of the Ganges, son of Pŗthā, Manu personally placed him in the ocean. The fish was very large, but Manu the Intelligent loved the feel and smell of the fish, and easily did as the fish wished. When the fish had been thrown into the sea by Manu, he smiled and said, "Lord, having done this, and having taken care of me with all distinction, listen to me, so that you may do what is necessary.

" ' "Soon, Fortune-favored Lord, the dissolution of all moving and unmoving things of earth is near. This Deluge of the worlds is approaching. I know this, so that you may have the advantage today. Of the mobile, the immobile, and of this that moves and that which is stationary, all ends in violent water. A boat
⁶
is to be built by you, furnished with a sturdy cord. There, with the seven Ŗsis, sit, Great Manu, and take with you all the seeds, as spoken of by the Brahmins long ago, preserving them in portions.

" ' "Remain in the boat and wait for me, and be protected from the desolation by my affection. I will come as a horned creature. Do what is required of you. I must go. You must anticipate my return, and heed my words."

" 'He responded to the fish, "This will be done." The two parted. Then, Great King, Manu did as the fish said. Having taken all the seeds, he crossed the ocean in the boat. And Manu thought of the fish, O King, and the fish, knowing his thought, came there, Great Bharata, as a horned creature, going before the boat.

" 'Having seen that fish with the shape of a horned creature, Manu, the king and lord of men, tossed the cord over the forehead of the fish. Manu, distinguished among men, tossed the cord onto the horn of the fish. With the fish going ahead, the great boat was drug through the salty water by the impetus of the cord. In this way, the Lord of Men crossed the ocean, with his boat dancing angrily with the thundering waves and violent winds. The boat, O Conqueror of Distant Cities,
⁷
rolled about, staggering like a drunk prostitute. In all directions, neither the earth nor the sky were seen. All was sea, Best Among Men, and only Manu, the Fish, and the seven Ŗsis could be seen then in that disordered earth, Most Excellent of Bharatas.

" 'O King, the fish pulled the boat carefully through the flood waters for many years, finally dragging it to the highest peak of the Himalayas. Then the fish said to the Ŗsis, with slight irony,
⁸
"Bind the boat quickly to the peak of the Himalayas." Having heard the words of the fish, the boat was quickly tied there by the Ŗsis, on the peak of the Himalayas. That highest peak is called, even to this day,
Naubandhanam.
⁹
This you know, Son of Kunti, Best Among Bharatas. Then the god said to the assembly of the Ŗsis, 'I am the Creator Brahma, Most High, Unattainable, and you have, by me, been set free from danger, having attained for myself the form of a fish. And now, all men, gods, and demons, all things earthly, those that move, and those which are stationary, will be created by Manu. And by the intensity of his piety, he will obtain power, and, in the abandonment of confusion, will
not
go to disillusionment.' Thus, having spoken these words, the fish disappeared, and Manu-Vaivasvata was filled with the desire to create men. In the process of creating, he became bewildered. Then, with the great meditation of
tapas
, he was joined with God. Manu began to create all men, Best of Bharatas.

" 'This story is called the Fish Myth. The ancient tale, having been spoken by me, recounts the expurgation of evil. The man who hears this will dwell in happiness, and will go to whichever heavenly world he desires.' "
¹⁰

The Flood According to the Kariña Peoples

In days long-past, the sky-god, Kaputano, came down to the kingdom of the Kariña. "Children," he called, "hear me well! Soon, a great rain will fall upon the earth, and will cover all with water."

Out of everyone there, however, only four couples were afraid. When they heard his words, they listened, though the rest scoffed.

"I am your father and your god," he insisted. "I desire that none of you should perish. I will help you build a canoe that will hold everyone, so that no one drowns."

"You are not Kaputano," they said, "and there is no flood." But the four couples, scared half out of their wits, listened to what he said. The rest continued to make fun of him.

"So be it," said Kaputano.

Then Kaputano, with the other eight people, began to build a very large canoe. It was a great canoe, and when they were done, they went about gathering two of each animal to put on board. They also brought seeds from every plant on earth.

The moment everyone was on board, the sky grew black. The wind picked up, the earth shook, and it began to rain. It rained and rained. The rain kept on for many, many days. It rained so hard, the rivers overflowed. Water was everywhere, and all the animals outside were swept away. There was so much water, not even the tops of the tallest trees were visible. Those Kariña who were outside — those who would not believe Kaputano — could not be rescued, and they were drowned. The waves came and came, and they were so high that the entire world was covered.

Many days later, when the waters began to recede and the land began to dry, the four couples exited the canoe. They looked at their world. It was void and empty, with nothing to be seen. Kaputano asked them, "Do you like it like this, or would you want something different? How do you want it to look?"

The Kariña told him that no one could survive in a place like this. "Where are the trees?" they asked. "How are we to weave baskets, and make roofs for our houses, if there aren't any palm leaves? How are we supposed to grow food, without mountain slopes? Where is there shelter?"

So Kaputano, out of love for his children, created a new earth for the Kariña. He filled it with rivers and trees, lakes and marshes, mountains and hills. And the Kariña lived there forever, happy and content.
¹¹

Endnotes

. The meaning of this Hebrew phrase is uncertain.

. Gen. 6:9–9:17,
Tanakh
(Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA).

. Or possibly "man-made-pond."

. A
yoja
is equal to about 9.5 English miles.

. Remember, the story is being narrated to Pāņdava.

. Also translated "raft."

. Another name for Pāņdava.

. The meaning of this phrase is unclear.

. The name means "anchored ship."

.
Mahābhārata
III:185/1–54.

. Based on
The Great Canoe: A Kariña Legend
, by Maria Elena Maggi.

Appendix B

Secondary Sources

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Babylon

At this point in the epic, Gilgamesh is seeking the secret to immortality. He hears that one man — Utnapishtim — has achieved immortality by surviving a Global Flood. Intrigued, Gilgamesh seeks out Utnapishtim, who tells him the story.

Utnapishtim said to Gilgamesh, "You are aware of Shurrupak. It is a city on the banks of the Euphrates. The city is old …ancient …and, once upon a time, the very gods lived in it. They reveled in its majesty. But, like most things, it soon lost its luster, and they decided to send a flood, such that would destroy all of mankind. Ea, the god of wisdom and subtlety, was part of their counsel and informed me of their decision. I heard him whistling through my thatched hut." Utnapishtim remembered this, and chuckled. "You see, he told me to look after myself and my belongings. 'Construct a vessel thirty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. Gather a representative of every living thing. Stock it with food and waters, and then launch it upon the ocean.'

" 'What am I to tell my neighbors?' I asked.

" 'Say that Enlil, the god of gods, is angry with you, and has banished you from the city. Tell them that you have decided to leave his realm, heading to sea (which belongs to Ea, anyway). Tell them I will take care of you.'

"I did as told, and designed the vessel, built it, and gathered food, water, and other necessities. When my provisions were collected, I coated the outside with pitch, and the inside with tar. Then I brought my family on board, along with all of our possessions, the provisions for the trip, and two of every animal. That very night, the cloud warriors marched in, pouring down upon the earth a vicious rain, and stirring up a terrifying storm. Having chosen a captain, I placed him at the helm and cut loose the mooring lines, allowing the craft to float free. At dawn, while the sky was still gray, a churning, ink-black cloud moved in from the west as the fury of the gods was unleashed. Adad, with his troops, thundered; Nergal came and tore off my anchor; Ninurta brought death and destruction upon those outside; the Anunaki, those fierce warriors, brandished their torches. The whole sky was black, and you could not see your hand in front of you. Even those gods who remained in their heavenly palaces were afraid; never before had a storm such as this been seen on earth."