Several years ago a skeptic posed the following question to me:
"If there really was a worldwide flood, then why aren't there any flood legends?"
The question that needs to be answered is not:
Where are all of the flood legends, but rather, Why hasn't the public been informed?
I say this because there are, in fact, many references from a broad spectrum of ancient civilizations that testify to a Worldwide Flood. And while this doesn't "prove" that there was a worldwide flood, it does add (significant) weight to the Biblical account in Genesis of just such an event. These extra-Biblical accounts tell of a great flood that wiped out almost all life on the earth. For example, the Cree and Tolec Indians, ancient Persia, Greece, India, China, Mesopotamia, and Hawaii are just a few such cultures. One source says there are 270 such legends; another says 500. Many of these have the following three things in common:
1. The flood destroyed nearly all animal life on the earth,
2. A vessel of safety was provided.
3. Animals and people were on board.
For those who are interested, the following references should be of help. Along with This Link regarding the Historical accuracy of the Bible.
1. The Illustrated Origins Answer Book, by Paul S. Taylor, 4th edition, pp. 112-115. This book contains
information on a broad range of creation-evolution topics--including at least 100 geophysical and astro-
nomical clocks which yield young ages for the earth; it is well referenced and can be purchased for about
$8. It is available from : Answers In Genesis, 1-800-350-3232; or Master Books, 1-800-999-3777.
2. Motif-index of folk literature, by Stith Thompson, 1989 (Reprint of the 1955 ed.), Indiana University
Press, Bloomington, Indiana; this in turn, gives reference to 122 legends of the earth being destroyed by
a flood.
3. The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament parallels, by A. Heidel, 2nd ed., 1949, University of Chicago
Press, pp. 80-93, 236, 249. This account was found by archeologists working in Iraq. It was written
on clay tablets called cuneiform from Ancient Babylon. See also This Link.
4. Folk-lore in the Old Testament, J. B. Frazer, 3 vols., Macmillan, London, 1918, pp. 66-67, 70.
5. Aztecs of Mexico: origin, rise and fall of the Aztec nation, G.C Vaillant, 1962, Revised ed., Doubleday,
Garden City, New York, p.56.
6. The Deluge Story in Stone, B. C. Nelson, 1968, 2nd ed., Bethany Fellowship, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
pp. 165-176.
7. "Deluge," F. H. Woods, in J. Hastings (ed) , Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. 4, pp. 445-457,
Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
8. The Biblical Flood and the Ice Epoch, A study in scientific history, by D.W. Patten, Pacific Meridian
Publishing Co., Seattle, WA, 1967, 2nd ed., pp.164-192.
9. "Recent discoveries in Bible lands," Supplement in "Youngs Analytical Concordance to the Bible, p.36,
1936, 1955, Funk & Wagnall's, New York.
10. "A comparison of narrative elements in ancient Mesopotamian creation-flood stories with Genesis 1-9,"
See Origins, 11: pp. 9-29; available from Loma Linda University; 1- 909-824-4548.
11. The flood reconsidered, F. A. Filby, 1970, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, pp.
28-30.
12. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, H. F. Vos, 1982, Vol. 2, pp.319-321, Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan.
13. Myth Legend and Custom in the Old Testament, T. H. Gaster, 1969, Harper & Row, New York, pp.
83-131; for refs. see pp. 353-359. Note: This Book lists several hundred additional reference sources
of flood legends in a nation by nation format.
14. Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, Reader's Digest Assoc. Inc.1991, pp.78-81.
15. National Geographic, Dec. 1994; see the large (separate) map which was included with this issue; under
the section "Indians and the Fur Trade" reference is given to an ancient Cree (Indian) creation/flood story.
16. Dinosaurs by Design, by Dr. Duane T. Gish, Institute of Creation Research; p. 75 tells of three different
flood stories from the: Hawaiian, Chinese, and Tolec Indians. 1-800-628-7640.
Copyright, 1999, 2000, 2004 Randy S. Berg; No part of this paper may be reproduced, used, or sold for profit
without the express written consent of the author. Copies may be distributed freely for educational purposes only.Home Fossil Tree Evidence Flood Evidences Ariel Roth on the Flood