Flood Story in every Culture?

by enigma1863 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Aussie Oz
    Aussie Oz

    From the insight book, another big list of cultures claimed to have flood stories that CAME FROM the 'real one' of Noah

    Chart

    onpage 328] (For fully formatted text, see publication)

    Flood Legends

    Samples from six continents and the islands of the sea; hundreds of such legends are known

    Australia- Kurnai

    Destruction by Water / Humans Spared / Animals Spared/ Preserved in a Vessel

    Babylon-Berossus’ account

    Destruction by Water / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Animals Spared/ Preserved in a Vessel

    Babylon -Gilgamesh epic

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Animals Spared /Preserved in a Vessel

    Bolivia- Chiriguano

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Borneo-Sea Dayak

    Destruction by Water / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Burma- Singpho

    Destruction by Water / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Canada- Cree

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Canada - Montagnais

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    China- Lolo

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Cuba-original natives

    Destruction by Water / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    East Africa- Masai

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Egypt -Book of the Dead

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Fiji -Walavu-levu tradition

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Humans Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    French Polynesia- Raïatéa

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Warning Given / Humans Spared / Animals Spared

    Greece -Lucian’s account

    Destruction by Water / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Guyana - Macushi

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Humans Spared / Animals Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    Iceland - Eddas

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Humans Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    India -Andaman Islands

    Destruction by Water / Divine Cause / Humans Spared / Preserved in a Vessel

    India - Bhil

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    India - Kamar

    Destruction by Water Divine Cause Warning Given Humans Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Iran - Zend-Avest

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Animals Spared

    Italy - Ovid’s poetry

    Destruction by Water Divine Cause Humans Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Malay Peninsula- Jakun

    Destruction by Water Divine Cause Humans Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Mexico -Codex Chimalpopoca

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Mexico- Huichol

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    New Zealand- Maori

    Destruction by Water Divine Cause Humans Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Peru -Indianof Huarochirí

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Animals Spared

    Russia- Vogul

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    U.S.A. (Alaska)- Kolusches

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    U.S.A. (Alaska)- Tlingit

    Destruction by Water Divine Cause Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    U.S.A. (Arizona)- Papago

    Destruction by Water Warning Given Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    U.S.A. (Hawaii)- legend of Nu-u

    Destruction by Water Divine Cause Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Vanuatu- Melanesians

    Destruction by Water Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Vietnam- Bahnar

    Destruction by Water Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    Wales -Dwyfan/Dwyfach legend

    Destruction by Water Humans Spared Animals Spared Preserved in a Vessel

    [Artwork—Chinese characters]

    VESSEL + EIGHT+ MOUTH (or Persons) .................... SHIP

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    This is not going to help much, but many years ago I was researching how many cultures had a "Flood Myth" and the similarities of those stories for a Public Talk I was giving which included a bit on the Noachian Flood.

    I was intrigued to find that many had the sending the bird out to see if land was near, the saving of the animals of course and so on, which pointed to a common source for many of the myths. Many diverged in significant ways, which I ignored.

    One book I found had a huge list of the cultures that have a Flood Myth, as I perused that list I became aware that some cultures did not have such a story, but my memory is not good as to which ! sorry, I think one was that certain North American native tribes/nations did have the myth, but not all, but I may be wrong.

    Sorry not to be much help. but I am convinced you are on to something, though flood myths may be widespread, how many claim their floods were global ?

    If we are looking at just local stories they have no more to do with "Noah" than this summer's floods around the world. They are just that, local stories.

    The common features of such stories are inevitable, destruction by water, well yes, that is what a flood does, escape by boat, well , there's a surprise, not by spaceship then ? divine curse as reason, people still use this today ! and so on, even saving animals may be just local, not from the original myth.

    How many really sound like just a local flood, and contain nothing of the "Noah" story itself ? How many come from the same source (Gilgamesh) ? Modern urban myths start somewhere, but they are not true.

    I shall be interested to hear more on this.

    Just a side-note, dear old Ray Franz was well aware that the idea of a Global Flood was not true or even sensible, so he wrote a long essay on how the Genesis story could be read as talking of a local flood, he goes in to the Hebrew words used and reasoning on the story tellers perspective etc.

    Very credible, though I would have thought perhaps a scholar without an agenda may well disagree with his conclusions.

  • Cagefighter
    Cagefighter

    Hmmm.... Too bad the WT won't list all the cultures that have a "Jesus" story. Some guy is born of a virgin, dies, is resurrected 3 days later and claims some sort of divinity which everyone fights about for the next 5,000 years.

  • Aussie Oz
    Aussie Oz

    funny enough...or NOT funny, was that when I was 'in' i never questioned or investigated any of the WTs list of cultures with a flood legend.

    That there was a list was good enough for me... and I suspect for most of us before we woke up.

    Oz

    edit: anyway, as you are looking for a culture that has NO flood story, the above lists might help you cross them off ...

  • Knowsnothing
    Knowsnothing
  • Amelia Ashton
    Amelia Ashton

    Hmmm.... Too bad the WT won't list all the cultures that have a "Jesus" story. Some guy is born of a virgin, dies, is resurrected 3 days later and claims some sort of divinity which everyone fights about for the next 5,000 years.

    Does such a list exist?

  • Phizzy
    Phizzy

    Knowsnothing, thanks for the link. When I was a believing JW I would have looked at that list as a "no smoke without fire" proof of all these cultures having a folk memory of Noah's Flood. LOL

    Since leaving and honing my Critical Thinking skills I can look at the list and realise that there is a good chance most are telling stories of local floods that affected their ancestors and were not located near the middle east, some are repeating myths from an older source than Genesis , which itself probably plagiarised the story, many are influenced by the Bible story having seeped in to their culture.

    The Andaman Islanders for instance. The Aboriginal inhabitants who keep to themselves, and there are only afew hundred left, we do not know if they have such a story, but the other guys would have got it FROM the Bible, I would think.

    It does not add up to any kind of affirmation for the Noah story as being anything more than a myth.

    Dear Amelia, I would like to see a list of those similar stories, born of a virgin, died and risen etc etc , I know that there are a number, and I remember when I first came across one such story as a young JW, it disturbed me, and went in to the Cognitive Dissonance file, so such a list may be of great use to us.

  • enigma1863
    enigma1863

    We could use their own logic against them regarding the Trinity and the Cross. They would say these were pagan since it was rooted in other religions. Major cognitive dissonance there.

  • darthweef
    darthweef

    There is a good reference on Talk Origins that lists the major flood myths and is tainted by WTBTS "truth" : http://talkorigins.org/faqs/flood-myths.html

  • darthweef
    darthweef

    Oops.. sorry knowsnothing .. didn't see your post.

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