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Epic Of Gilgamesh Comparison Essay

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There are many similarities and differences between The Book of Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The most obvious similarities between the two accounts are that both are talking about a great flood that was sent by God. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood lasts for seven days while in the Book of Genesis, the flood lasts for forty days (pg.12-13). Another similarity is that in both accounts, it was God who told both Noah and Gilgamesh to build the boats as well as to “keep alive living beings” (pg.12-13). One of the differences between the two accounts is that in the Book of Genesis, Noah sent off a dove and a raven in search of dry land, which he eventually found (pg.13). In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh also sent out a dove, and then he sent a swallow, then also a raven and when they all came back with no sign of dry land, he sent out “everything in all directions” (pg.12). Another, more major, difference between the two accounts is that Gilgamesh and his family were not meant to survive while Noah was …show more content…

They seem to view their gods in the same way. Gilgamesh and Noah both put their complete and utter faith in their gods when they decided to build the boats (pg.12-3). The gods think of humankind differently in the two societies. Noah was favored by God and when he was asked to build the boat, he knew that he and his family would survive (pg.13). When Gilgamesh was asked to build the boat, he was not promised his life. When he survived the flood, Enlil seemed angry that he had survived. I would venture to say that these stories do not seem to be derived from one or the other. They are very similar in nature, but the small, important details are very different. It is almost like two recollections, or sides, of the same event as if from two completely separated

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