Flood Myth or Fact?

What was the reason for the flood myths? Why are there so many versions of this. Here we look at some of the reasons for it.

As I stated in the Flood myths article there are many different flood myths around the world. This leaves people to two possible conclusions. One, there really was a great flood that was passed down through stories like this. Two, there have been several floods.

Looking at the first option there is the possibility that there was one great flood. I was watching a documentary once. In this documentary they were discussing the possibilities of floods. They looked at the black sea. According to Anthropological records it is believed that many people lived in that region. At one point it flooded and the lake doubled in size forcing many of the people to leave and settle in other areas of the world. I do not know the date for this off hand but it was rather early in our human history. It is quite possible this is the Great Flood that everyone speaks of.

The other standpoint to look at is that during that era in our history our ancestors needed to live by bodies of water. Whether it is lakes, rivers, streams etc. A common aspect of these water bodies is that they flood. Rains come or spring thaw comes and snows melt into the water causing levels to rise. This would make floods common aspects of life to many people in different areas. Hence another reason for the several flood myths.

We can't forget about the fact that stories trade across cultures like goods. When merchants and travelers went into other areas they did not just take with them the things that they were selling they also brought with them their culture. That culture that they brought was shared with the people they were visiting and visa versa. These stories were told many times as a means of entertainment. I can certainly picture a host merchant and a visiting merchant trading stories from each others home to while away the evening hours. Another clear example of this trade of mythology is to look at the Sumerians, Babylonians and the Hebrews. The Sumerians gave way to the Babylonians bringing in the mythology from the cultures origins. The Babylonians took the Jewish people as slaves. It is a commonly held belief that the story from the epic of Gilgamesh is the source for these two stories.

However way you look at it you have to admit there was a flood of some sort. Whether it be a large flood that encompassed the earth or a comparatively small flood. The stories of our history live on.