Ziusudra

From EvoWiki

Ziusudra, also known as Utnapishtim and Atrachasis, was a hero from the Sumerian myth saga The Epic of Gilgamesh. He can be considered a precursor to the biblical figure of Noah, who built an ark to survive a deadly global flood sent by God as a judgment against mankind. Most Christian creationists, especially Young Earth creationists, believe the Flood to be an actual historical event, and claim there is evidence for its occurence that supersedes evidence for evolution.

There are many parallels between the myths of Ziusudra and Noah. When the angry god Enlil decides to destroy humanity by means of a massive flood, Ziusudra's life is spared when he is tipped off to Enlil's plans by the sympathetic god Ea, who indirectly instructs Ziusudra (by speaking to Ziusudra's hut) to build a ship on which he, his wife, and representatives of all the earth's animal life, are rescued. After the flood, the ship comes to rest on the mountain of Nisir. After seven days, Ziusudra releases several birds (including a dove), eventually confirming there is dry land and the flood waters are receding. Afterwards, Ziusudra and his wife are granted immortality.

Scholars have dated The Epic of Gilgamesh to the third millennium BCE. It is thought that the Old Testament scribes who composed the story of Noah's Flood were familiar with the story of Ziusudra.