What is the great Epic of Gilgamesh and?

Question

how does it compare to the biblical story of Noah?

Thank you Christy and CJ. G

Answer 1

Comparing the stories
The Chaldean Flood Tablets from the city of Ur in what is now Southern Iraq, describe how the Bablylonian God Ea had decided to eliminate humans and other land animals with a great flood which was to become "the end of all flesh". He selected Ut-Napishtim, to build an ark to save a few humans, and samples of other animals.

The Babylonian text "The Epic of Galgamesh" 1,8 and the Hebrew story are essentially identical with about 20 major points in common. Their texts are obviously linked in some way. Either:

Genesis was copied from an earlier Babylonian story, or
The Galgamesh myth was copied from an earlier Hebrew story, or
Both were copied from a common source that predates them both.

In both the Genesis and Galgamesh stories:

The Genesis story describes how mankind had become obnoxious to God; they were hopelessly sinful and wicked. In the Babylonian story, they were too numerous and noisy.
The Gods (or God) decided to send a worldwide flood. This would drown men, women, children, babies and infants, as well as eliminate all of the land animals and birds.
The Gods (or God) knew of one righteous man, Ut-Napishtim or Noah.
The Gods (or God) ordered the hero to build a multi-story wooden ark (called a chest or box in the original Hebrew).
The hero initially complained about the assignment to build the boat
The ark would be sealed with pitch.
The ark would have with many internal compartments
It would have a single door
It would have at least one window.
The ark was built and loaded with the hero, a few other humans, and samples from all species of other land animals.
A great rain covered the land with water.
The mountains were initially covered with water.
The ark landed on a mountain in the Middle East.
The hero sent out birds at regular intervals to find if any dry land was in the vicinity.
The first two birds returned to the ark. The third bird apparently found dry land because it did not return.
The hero and his family left the ark, ritually killed an animal, offered it as a sacrifice.
God (or the Gods in the Epic of Gilgamesh) smelled the roasted meat of the sacrifice.
The hero was blessed.
The Babylonian gods seemed genuinely sorry for the genocide that they had created. The God of Noah appears to have regretted his actions as well, because he promised never to do it again.

The were a number of differences between the two stories:

Noah received his instructions directly from Jehovah; Ut-Napishtim received them indirectly during a dream.
Noah's ark was 3 stories high and rectangular in shape. Two estimated dimensions are 547 x 91 ft. and 450 x 75 ft. The Babylonian ark was 6 stories high and square.
Ut-Napishtim invited additional people on board: a pilot and some skilled workmen.
Noah's ark landed on Mt. Ararat; Ut-Napishtim'sat on Mt. Nisir; these locations are both in the Middle East, and are located few hundred miles apart
In the Bible, some of the water emerged from beneath the earth. And the rains from above lasted for 40 days and nights. A 40 day interval often symbolized a period of judgment in the Hebrew Scriptures. 2 In the Babylonian account, the water came only in the form of rain, and lasted only 6 days.
Noah released a raven once and a dove twice; Ut-Napishtim released three birds: a dove, swallow and raven.

Answer 2

There are 2 versions of the epic of Gilgamesh a Chad lean and a Babylonian version. You can find these on the World Mysteries website under sacred tests and near east.

They are very similar, the Babylonian is the oldest version and predates the biblical version by several centuries. The instructions for the making of the ark is very similar, it tells to take the seed of all living things onto the ark along with 7 of certain kinds of animal but not 2 of each as in the biblical version. The releasing of the birds to find dry land is similar, the sacrifice after the flood is similar but the epic of Gilgamesh has multiply gods not just one. Enili or EL the leader of the gods on earth was the one that caused the flood and after the flood the god EA or Eniki (Sumerian), was questioning him in the Chaldean version about why did he have to send a flood to destroy mankind why didn't he send beasts to devour mankind, or a plague, or famine instead. this same wording is also used in the bible in Ezek. xiv. 12-20 where god is telling all the different ways he will punish mankind.

Answer 3

Gilgamesh is probably the first written story. It comes from Sumeria and the similarity to Noah is that both involve a story about a huge flood.

Answer 4

It is very similiar because he is asked to "tear down your house and build a ship. Abandon your possessions and the works you find beautiful and crave And save your life instead. Into the ship bring the seed of all the living creatures." (Gilgamesh 76-77).