Comparison Between Ovid's Baucis And Philemon

Throughout history folklore mythology has been used to explain the unknown things that occur in the world. One of the most common myths found throughout different cultures is the flood myth. A flood myth is a story which a great flood usually sent by the gods destroys humanity and often this is an act of divine retribution. Ovid’s “Baucis and Philemon” is just one example of a flood myth found across many cultures. Even though culture and religion vary greatly around the world, the flood myth is a common tool used to explain the unknown and to teach valuable lessons.

Cultures worldwide have used variations of the flood myths to illustrate the way people have been punished by the gods. In Ovid’s “Baucis and Philemon” the people of Phrygia were

The gods use their power to teach important lessons and values to mankind. The most important values that were presented in Ovid’s “Baucis and Philemon” story was kindness and generosity. "Cura deum di sint, et, qui coluere, colantur." This translates to "Let those who take care of the gods be gods and those who worshiped the gods be worshiped. “Even those Baucis and Philemon were poor by being kind to the gods their life was spared and were rewarded for being generous. This is because the gods have the power to decide who is going to live or dies. The Native American story of “Yellowstone Valley and The Great Flood” is another example of the gods’ supreme power and the values they teach using the power. The Great Spirit told the Native people to treat the animals as equals and to especially protect the buffaloes because as long as they have the buffaloes they would not suffer. The Natives lived peacefully with the animals, however, the whites did not listen to Great Spirit. In the Native American flood story, the buffalos were highly valued and when the people were not respecting the animal Great Spirit choose to teach them the lesson of how important the buffalo were by sending in the flood. Both “Baucis and Philemon” and “Yellowstone Valley and The Great Flood” are similar in regard to both having all-powerful gods that

The flood myths have several origins but the themes and the symbolization of the flood are the same. In all of the stories after the flood happened a new age that is “better” than before starts. In the legends, the flood water represents purity and rebirth. While the main characters that survive represent the good in society. In the stories before the flood happens the world is filled with Sinner, people who disobey God/the gods. However, after the flood came the world was wiped from all the sins and wrongdoing of mankind. The world was instead reborn and the surviving humans were able to repopulate the earth with a better society. The survivors signify the good and pure side of humanity. God/ the gods choose certain people to withstand the flood because they saw the good in them and wanted the new civilization to resemble those traits. With so many different types of flood myths throughout history, the one thing that stayed common was what the flood