Collectionflood
The Great Floods
Cataclysmic deluges that washed away the old world. These universal stories explore divine judgment and humanity's resilience.
Across traditions
The figures
They share a theme; their roles, beliefs and histories differ from one tradition to the next.
Greek PantheonZeusIllustrationKing of the gods and ruler of Mount Olympus.
Hindu PantheonVishnuIllustrationThe preserver and protector of the universe, second member of the Trimurti.
Mesopotamian PantheonEnlilIllustrationLord of wind, storms, and the breath of life.
Mesoamerican PantheonTlalocIllustrationThe Aztec god of rain, fertility, and water.
The stories
The Great Flood and UtnapishtimMesopotamian PantheonThe gods decree a great flood to destroy humanity, but the wise god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a boat and save the seed of all living things. This is the oldest known flood narrative, predating the biblical story of Noah.
Atrahasis and the Great FloodMesopotamian PantheonWhen the gods plague humanity for making too much noise, Ea warns Atrahasis to build a boat. Floodwaters erase the old world — then the gods regret famine and grant a new order of mortality.
About this collection
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Collections group figures and myths by a shared theme. A shared theme is an editorial lens, not evidence that the traditions borrowed from one another.