The End of the World, Suitable For Children Age 1 and Up

Why does the story of the Flood keep coming back, and in such odd places?

Suppose you were an alien ethnologist, studying the cultures of Homo Sapiens in its natural environment (a “terranologist”?). You would notice patterns, and marvel at how certain basic myths and archetypes kept popping up in the most unexpected places…

Such as here: The “Noah’s Ark” Fisher-Price toy set, for Earth children Age 1-5.

Or this kiddie ride with the exact same theme (there’s a good chance you’ve come across it, or something similar to it, sometime):

It’s one thing that Hollywood has been selling this story as a cinematic spectacle since the silent era — Roland Emmerich’s disaster epic 2012 is the same old Ark tale dressed up with CGI set pieces — but why on Earth did Walt Disney turn it into an animated musical cartoon in 1932?

Our hypothetical alien ethnologist might wonder about the deeper purpose of pushing such a terrifying pagan myth to small children in particular. “For what reason do Earth parents imprint on their offspring a nightmarish story about cruel, vindictive gods who abruptly drown almost all life on Earth?”

Noah’s ark in a modern high-tech incarnation, from Roland Emmerich’s 2012 (2009).

You may or may not be aware that the myth of The Flood is much older than Judaism. It has appeared in many ancient cultures, notably in the Mesopotamian Gilgamesh Epic. The myth may be at least 6,000 years old… but the fact that it is so widespread hints at an even more ancient source. (Positively Lovecraftian, no?)

Ancient cuneiform tablet containing a version of the Flood myth. (CC Image source: Wikipedia)

There have been some serious attempts to explain this myth as the memory of a real, ancient natural disaster — such as a huge flooding in the Far East, who knows how long ago. I cannot judge the credibility of such theories, fascinating as they are, but they don’t really explain why this particular myth lived on while others did not.

Darren Aronofsky’s film Noah (2014) highlighted the strangeness of ancient mythology — such as the original “angels” (Nephilim) — and even hinted that the Flood wiped out a decaying high-tech civilization. While this movie gives off an almost science fiction-like vibe, it contains more pre-Christian source material than many previous cinematic interpretations.

Consider the many natural disasters that have killed huge numbers of people in the past but did not gain equal mythological status:

- Volcanic eruptions
- Earthquakes
- Great plagues
- Droughts

… and possibly also ice ages and asteroid impacts, if you wish to be imaginative.

Historically, cultures tend to be very conservative when it comes to which mythical tales they choose to preserve. The Flood myth apparently has a special power in the shared repository of human stories. Is this really a coincidence?

Mind you, I’m not a Christian trying to peddle Creationism. I’m mainly curious about the history of an idea. Think of the Flood as history’s oldest and most persistent meme.

There’s another peculiar thing about this myth in present-day culture: Nowadays we both trivialize the story of the Flood while simultaneously working to make sure the next generation won’t forget it. (Hence all the toy versions of Noah’s Ark.)

Note how the Flood myth is not being used by today’s establishment. It is tempting to think that the environmental movement is also telling the same story, but I’m not entirely sure. If they were, why would they try to prevent the Earth from being destroyed?

Is Greta Thunberg, in a way, a modern-day incarnation of the Old Testament prophet, warning humanity that its sinful ways will anger the gods and bring divine retribution? I’m not sure. She balances uneasily between the roles of a political influencer and a prophet.

Religious fundamentalists may preach about the Day of Judgment, but that is not quite the same story as the Flood; to them the end of the world is a vindication of their faith. The Flood does not offer much of a vindication. The survivors are so few, and the drowned so mercilessly slaughtered by their own Creator/Creators (in the Mesopotamian versions, there are several responsible deities), that Noah’s virtue seems almost beside the point. Most of all, the Flood makes the gods seem cruel, petty and selfish — not exactly powers that humans can trust.

Perhaps we have forgotten what it was like to truly fear nature and the gods; to feel utterly helpless against a hostile cosmos. (The recent popularity of H.P. Lovecraft indicates that at least in popular culture, this “cosmic dread” is still alive.) Now humans fear each other more than nature.

Is Elon Musk’s Starship a present-day “secular Ark?” Are we nervous about spelling it out?

There are modern-day “secular believers” in the Flood myth — people with power and influence who seem obsessed with the idea that some vast disaster will wipe out humanity, and that they need to build a new Ark to save at least some of us.

Elon Musk is the obvious case, with his visions of colonizing other planets. He’s very clearly committed to building a fleet of “space Arks.” (But probably his investors might get cold feet if he named himself a modern Noah out loud.)

So what’s this all “about” then?

I am firmly convinced that myths exist because they resonate with something embedded in the minds of all humans; they have a timeless quality. The historical origin of the Flood is less important than its longevity.

Myths tend to be simple, often vague and not exactly logical. You can’t quite reduce the Flood myth to a reasonable explanation, but if there was one it might go something like this:

“The Creator (or Creators) represent the merciless forces of Nature in the eyes of preliterate, pre-scientific cultures. The message of the Flood myth is simply that humans should show proper humility before these vast forces, or they might punish us.”

But if that “reasonable” interpretation is correct… what is then the “reason” for the perpetual re-telling of the myth? That deep down we’re still shit-scared of Nature, or even the cosmos itself, and fear that it might turn on us because of our “wickedness” and “sins” against Creation?

Do you see the contradiction here? The logical explanation of the living myth is that we are still illogical creatures like 6,000 years ago? That deep down, we haven’t changed despite our computers, spaceships, robots and genetic engineering?

It is enough to make one wonder if there is such a thing as human nature.

I think this ancient story lives on as a warning, and as a message of hope. We are still telling it to kids, who will remember it and pass it on to their children. And so on, into an uncertain future…