#utnapishtim

Bitches love me for my ancient literature memes

This visual collection explores five different interpretations of the ancient flood myth from cultures around the world. Each image highlights unique artistic styles, cultural symbols, and divine interventions, showing how the same core story—catastrophic deluge, survival, and rebirth—was imagined differently across civilizations. From Mesopotamian ziggurats sinking beneath the waves to Hopi people ascending a giant reed, these scenes reveal humanity’s shared fascination with destruction and renewal.

𒑆 The Hermit 𒍪 The stories reflected in these cards are some of the oldest stories ever told. The story behind this card might sound familiar. In this card, we see Utnapishtim, a character from the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. He was a mortal who has been granted immortality by the Gods because he saved animals and humanity when he built a large boat in order to save them from a devastating global flood sent by the Gods. He was then taken by the Gods to live alone at Dilmun, a remote and solitary place where the sun rises and creation occurs. In the Epic, Gilgamesh is seeking the secret to eternal life. In his quest, he is told of Utnapishtim, who has learned that wisdom, because it was given to him by the Gods. Gilgamesh’s quest for wisdom from Utnapishtim reflects the archetype of the wise Hermit figure. We see Gilgamesh approaching on the boat in the card. There is also an older Sumerian version of this tale that exists. In that one, Utnapishtim is called Ziusudra. There, he also builds a boat and saves the “seed of humanity”. He is then granted immortality and is taken to live solitarily in a land called Dilmun. Here we see the value placed on the concept of the “seed” by mesopotamians. To tie this story and characters to the deck, it’s important to point out that in both accounts, Inanna laments for the destruction of humans by the flood. The stories we share in this deck often tie together aspects from the different cultures within the Mesopotamian timeline. The Cuneiform is: 𒍪 dili - “alone, unique”

Ut-napishtim as the Capering Relicker