Relationship and Interaction Between Gods and Men in Atrahasis and Genesis

Relationship and Interaction Between Gods and Men in Atrahasis and Genesis

The Babylonian myth Atrahasis and the Israelite myth in Genesis both show the universal flood sent by the God(s) to destroy all life on earth. In both myths, the relationship between men and God(s) is significant especially for the humans whose survival depends on their relationship with the deities and gods. Humans beings are fragile and vulnerable and their longevity on this earth depends on their ability to maintain a great relationship with the Gods and keep them happy. In the two narratives, the gods are expecting a different kind of accountability from the humans. In Atrahasis, the human population is overcrowding the earth and the gods are getting tired of listening to their mumbles. In Genesis, Yahweh/God, just want human beings to leave their depravity behind them. In both mythologies, we have unhappy Gods and a naive human population. The key difference in the two myths is the monotheistic vs polytheistic culture within the environment that will entirely impact the dynamic between man and god. In Atrahasis there is the idea of having a God as personal god or a favorite god in contrast to the idea that one god fits all in the Genesis which ultimately affect how the gods will choose humanity fate after the flood; a covenant in Genesis in comparison to a preventive birth control method in Atrahasis.

In both stories, humans’ survival depends on keeping the Gods happy. In Atrahasis at the beginning of the story, there is the central idea that human beings were created to worship the gods and perform their tedious tasks. “Belet-illi the womb goddess is present- let her create primeval man so that he may bear the yoke, let man bear the load of the gods” (Dalley, 14). Man was created so that the lesser gods revolting could find their own happiness and stopped annoying the higher Gods such as Ellil. Man creation was a happy medium to keep all the gods happy. In Genesis, from the very beginning of the story, we are aware that Yahweh created man as a companion, and just like all of his other creations, Yahweh created human beings to be and do good on the earth. However, in both narratives, human beings failed in keeping their gods happy. “And the Lord regretted having made the human on earth and was grieved to the heart. And the Lord said I will wipe out the human race I created from the face of the earth . . .” (Genesis 6: 6-7). The depravity and evilness of humans sadden God and he could no longer accept his creation to cause him such grief which led to his decision of destroying the human race. In Atrahasis, we have the human race who became too much of an unexpected nuisance to the higher gods. “The noise of mankind has become too much, I am losing sleep over their racket. Give the order that surrupu-disease shall break out” (Dalley, 18). In both instances, whether consciously or not, mankind has disappointed the Gods and made them unhappy, so humanity must suffer the consequences since the Gods hold all the power. It is highly critical to keep the beings or Gods that have created you in a good mood, because they can just as easily annihilate your existence.