Genesis vs Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh discusses the story of how Gilgamesh and Enkidu became friends, going against what the Gods wanted, and then how Gilgamesh dealt with the death of his new friend.  Genesis is the story of how one God created mankind, along with everything else on Earth, and what punishments He put upon them when they acted wrongly. Although these stories seem very different they have many similarities within them. The most obvious comparison would be that in both stories there was a vast flood. In Gilgamesh this flood was created by the Gods because they were angry with the people. Only Utanapishtim was told to build a boat so he could save himself, other living beings, and the animals. The Epic states, “Tear down the house and build a boat! Abandon wealth and seek living beings! Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings! Make all living being go up into the boat.” (Gilgamesh, 91)
Likewise in Genesis a flood was created by the Lord because he felt “the evil of the human creature was great on earth.” The Lord advised Noah, whom he favored, to build an ark that would protect himself, his family, and the animals. In both cases the floods seem very alike, however they do differ in ways. When Utanapishtim loaded his boat for the flood he not only brought his family and the animals with him, he also brought the craftsmen that built the boat. This shows he wanted to preserve the knowledge and skills of mankind. In contrast, Noah did not bring his craftsmen. He brought only what the Lord told him to save, which was himself, his wife, his sons, their wives, and two of each animal. Another difference was the way the flood was brought to the land. The gods in Gilgamesh created a storm that made the river overflow and flood the land. This storm lasted for six days and seven nights. Where in Genesis it was a long period of rain that flooded the land. Genesis says, “’For in seven days’ time I will make it rain on the earth forty days and forty nights and I will wipe out from the face of the earth all existing things that I have made.” (Genesis, 35) There are other differences in these texts aside from the flood as well. In the Epic knowledge of the people is encouraged and appreciated. They have acquired the skills to build and grow food. “Go up the wall of Uruk and walk around, examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly. Is not even the core of the brick structure made of kiln-fired brick, and did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plans?” (Gilgamesh, 59) This extract from the Epic shows how vast their knowledge is to build such a wall and how much it is appreciated. On the other hand, when the people in Genesis start to obtain the knowledge of crafting this angers the Lord. When He sees what they are doing he creates multiple languages so that they do not understand each other and scatters them over the land. The Lord does not see these skills as an advantage and He does not want them to have any knowledge. Another main difference in these tales is that they both have supernatural characters in them. The difference is that in the Epic of Gilgamesh there are multiple Gods being described, showing polytheism. In Genesis there is just one single God, the Lord, which resembles monotheism. This just shows some of the similarities and differences these stories share.