Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Mythology Explained.
In today’s video, we’re going to be discussing the Greek version of Noah’s Ark.
Saying that humanity is far from perfect isn’t a very controversial statement,
I think. As a species we embody the dichotomy of good and evil - the whole gamut, from highest
virtue to lowest vice. I’m inclined to believe that, in the aggregate, good outweighs evil, but
unfortunately for us, many gods in many different mythologies throughout history didn’t share my
outlook. The idea of mankind being evil to the point of needing to be exterminated by some divine
cataclysm of biblical proportions is not uncommon. And the most popular disaster sent to end mankind
seems to be the great flood that drowns the earth. Probably the best known instance of this is Noah’s
Ark, but the Greeks had their own version, too, which is what we’re going to dive into.
Zeus came to loathe mankind for its wickedness, judging it to be unworthy of existence,
and so he resolved to destroy the human race. His chosen method was that of a great flood, something
he achieved by working his powers in concert with those of his brother, Poseidon. From the heavens
Zeus brought down a torrential downpour, and at the same time, Poseidon used his control over all
bodies of water, flooding rivers and churning the seas so that they all spilled forth and inundated
the land. Poseidon also sundered the land with many great earthquakes. The terrible works of
these two gods killed off virtually every person on the face of the earth. Most people drowned,
and those who didn’t were left to perish from starvation, to slowly wither and waste away.
Only two people survived, Deucalion and Pyrrha. Deucalion was the king of Pthia and the son of
Prometheus, and Pyrrha was Deucalion’s wife. Prometheus gave these two advanced warning
of the impending flood, which armed them with enough time to seek salvation. They
found safety on a sturdy boat well provisioned with food. Nine days and nine nights passed,
storms raging throughout, and after that time, the ship ran aground, becoming perched atop Mount
Parnassus. By this time Zeus’ temper had subsided, and he recognized the inherent goodness and
wrothiness in mankind’s only two survivors. After a time, the waters that had washed over the land
receded, which exposed the rest of the mountain that was previously submerged, allowing Deucalion
and Pyrrha to make their way down from the craggy summit where their boat was land-locked.
Having descended the mountain, the couple found their way to the sacred cave of Delphi. They
were safe within the cave, but they couldn’t help but feel sad and alone. They prayed constantly,
and eventually, the oracle spoke to them, saying “throw your mother’s bones over your shoulders.”
At first, these instructions bewildered the couple, for disrupting the bones of
a fallen ancestor was counted among the most egregious offences one could commit.
What’s more, they were alone in a cave, and any such bones were far,
far away, well beyond reach. After much deep thought about the oracle's words,
pondering their perplexity, their cryptic meaning was finally understood. It dawned
on Deucalion that the earth was their mother. And so, instead of seeking out the resting places of
their ancestors and desecrating their remains, they picked up stones from the cave’s floor
and tossed them over their shoulders. Each stone thrown by Deucalion became a man when it hit the
ground, and likewise, each stone thrown by Pyrrha became a woman when it hit the ground. This way,
they repopulated the human race, tossing stones until people walked all the land once again.
And that’s it for this video! If you enjoy the content
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Until next time
Remember,
Madness does not go to the mountains, it goes to people.