ABSTRACT
The Flood is seen as an enormous washing-day that was required to cleanse the old, sullied world and recreate another, clean and smooth as it if had just stepped out of the bath. It is a myth dealing with the relationship between God and Man. Two story lines are in evidence: the deity proceeds against mankind as a whole, but one man with his family and the seeds of all life is succoured, and we have the impression that this rescue represents the crux of the story. This becomes clear when people consider the opposition between the two main concepts in the text: Life and Death. As portrayed in art and literature the biblical story of Noah rescued from the waters illustrates the multiple facets of a myth, in all the accepted senses of the term, ranging from the most profound religious ones to the most banal involving its use as a cliche.
