The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-11-07
DELUGE LEGENDS.
They Are Found in the Lore of All the
Nations of the Earth.

One of the most powerful and vivid
descriptive portions of the book of Gen
esis is that devoted to the wonderful
story of the deluge. Together with the
accounts of Adams fall, the Staying of
Abel and the turning of Lots wife into
pillar of salt, every one remembers
from childhood how Noah was warned of
the doom impending over the children
of men, and how he constructed huge
ark in which he did live, himself and
family and two of every beast of the
field and fowl of the air, for the space
of 100 days, or until the waters subsidized
and the dry land appeared. But the
Biblical recitation of this terrible vista
ton of Divine wrath is by no means the
only one. In fact, the most skeptically
inclined must believe that something of
the sort actually occurred long ago, for
it has been perpetuated not only in the
Talmud and Koran, but in the legends
of almost every nation and race that
ever lived on the face of the earth, in
Guiding the Chinese, the ancient Aztecs
of Mexico, the Indian tribes of North
and South America and even the savages
of Africa.
The story, of course, varies materially
in the multitudinous traditions, but the
gist of it remains substantially the same,
namely, that the earth was once visited
by great flood, in which nearly every
living thing was overwhelmed and lost.
Thus in the Koran we read that Noah
constructed the ark with Divine assist
ance and was rallied at for his pains by
the wicked. When the time prescribed
for the punishment of mankind arrived,
water was seen to flow from the burning
oven of Noah's wife, and Immediately
all the arteries and veins of earth broke
and spurted out water. Noah was then
admonished in these words: Take and
bring into the ark two couples of every
kind of animal, except him who has been
condemned by your mouth, and receive
the faithful and even the unbelievng;
but few only will enter" The Koran
also says that the ark was built in two
years, and that it contained three stories,
the upper one for birds, the middle one
for the men and provisions and the hold
for the beasts. Canaan, the son of Ham,
refused to be saved; therefore, Noah
cursed him and his posterity became
black and were enslaved. The Persians
assert that Ham incurred his fathers
malediction as well. When six months
had passed, the ark rested on the top of
Mount Djondi (Ararat), after having
made the circuit of the world. Tabari
says that two sorts of animals left the
ark which had not entered 1.-THE pig
and the cat. Concerning the latter, we
have an interesting piece of information:
When the rats began to make trouble,
the voyagers complained to Noah.
Whereupon the patriarch passed his
hand down the back of the lion, who
sneezed, and the cat jumped out of its
nose. And the cat ate the rats
According to the Talmud Noah and his
family and one pair of each kind of beast
were to be saved in the ark, but of every
clean beast seven were to enter in. The
rhinoceros, however, had to be left out,
for the simple but sufficient reason that
it's neck alone was three miles long. Nev-
ertheless, all the Rabbinic writers agree
that the rhinOceros survived the flood;
hence it is reasonable to suppose that the
huge beast was taken in tow by rope
attached to it's horn. Some authorities
likewise declare that Noah extended his
hospitality to another outsider in the
shape of Og, the giant, who climbed on
the roof of the ark and received his daily
food through hole bored at the side OF
the vessel
Ararat has been known under this
name for 1000 years, and an Armenian
writer declares that the entire country
was so called after Arai the Fair, an an
Gent Armenian king, who lived about
1850 B. G. He fell in a bloody battle
with the Babylonians, and the scene OF
his death was hencefOrth Aria-Arat, OIL
| the Fall of Arai. Josephus refers to the
| mountain as NaXuana, and declares that
| the remains of the ark were there to be
seen carefully preserved.
Almost all the Asiatic traditions closely
resemble the Biblical account. Berosu'
| in his Chaldee history (B. O. 26Ol speaks
| of 10 patriarchs in Genesis before tho
flood The last of these kings was called
| Xisuthrus. Berosus relates that "kro
nos appeared to Xisuthrus in a dream
and warned him that all men would bt
destroyed by deluge on the 10Th OF the
month Daesis, and commanded him t.
write down all the learning and science
of men, and to hide it in the sun-city
| Siparis. and then to build a ship and en-
ter it along with his family and relatives
and nearest friends, and to take into j
with him food and drink and beasts ant
winged fowl. When he was asked with
err he was about to sail he was hidden t'
reply "To the gods, to pray them tina
men may prosper" Nisuthrus dld as III
was commanded, and when the tloot
showed signs of abating he sent out tIre'
| birds in succession; the first and secont
came back, the latter with mud on III
4 feet. but the third returned not SooI
after this the ship stranded on noun
tain. and Xisuthrus disembarked witt
his family. offered thanks to the gods
and vanished. Subsequently the remain
| ing survivors heard his voice III tht
heavens. bidding them to fear God, ant
TO take his writings out of Siparis, anc
| from them instruct men.
The ancient Persian account is very
brief: "Taschter (the spirit ruling tht
waters) poured water for 30 days ana 81
nights upon the earth. Every water
drop was as big as bowl. The eartl
was covered with water the height OF I
man. All idolators on earth died through
the rain; it penetrated all openings: Al
terward n wind from heaven divided the
water and carried it away in clouds, as
souls hear bodies; then Ormuzd collected
all the water together and placed 1t as q
boundary to the earth, and thus was tht
great ocean formed.
The Brahminical legend is both inter,
esting and picturesque. The genera
nralaya or destruction is the subject OF
the first Purana or sacred poem, whlc1
is found in the eighth book of Bhagayata
From this we learn that the demon Hay
aeriya. having purlOined the Vedas from
Rrohma while he was reposing, tht
whole race of man became corrupt, eN'
cont the seven Richis and the Stubborn
monarch Satyayrata. On day, while the
mons prince was performing his ablu'
lions in the river Critamala, Vishnu ap,
neared to him in the shape of small
ish and thus spoke: "In seven days al
creatures who haye offended me shall
be DESTROYED by deluge; but thou shalt