Noahs Ark(Warner Bros.) (1928)

DOLORES COSTELLO in “NNOAH’S ARK”’ with GEORGE O'’BRIEN—The Spectacle of the Ages HIS WORDS WAFT THEM BACK ACROSS THE CENTURIES TO THE DAYS OF THE FLOOD FEATURES FOR NEWSPAPERS Strange Flood Legends of the World Recalled by Coming of “Noah’s Ark” Editor’s Note: I. Flood Legends WORLD-WIDE FLOOD LEGENDS RECALLED . BY “NOAH'S ARK” rs Ark,” the ectacle, reof the bens “Deluge” is meant a great flood or submersion of the earth (so far as the earth was known to narrators) or of heaven and earth, or simply of heaven, by which, according to primitive and semi-primitive races, chaos was restored. It is, of course, not meant that all the current flood stories, as they stand, answer to this description. There are flood stories which at first sight may plausibly be held to be only exaggerated accounts of some ancient historical occurrences. The probability of such tradition being handed down is, however, extremely slight. If some flood stories are apparently local, and almost or quite without mythical coloring, it may be because the original mythmakers had a very narrow conception of the earth, and because in the lapse of time the original mythic elements had dwindled or even disappeared. relies of the traditional |} story may then have been adapted by scribe and priest to a new ‘theory. Many deluge stories may in this way have degenerated. It is at any rate undeniable that flood stories of the type described above, and even with similar minor de tails, are fairly common. A conspectus of illustrative flood stories, from different parts of the world, would throw great light on the problems before us, especially the North American Indian tales, which show clearly enough what is properly a second creation, and that the serpent is as truly connected with the — second chaos as with the first. One of these stories, too, gives a striking parallel to the Babylonian name Hasis-Andra (the Very Wise), whence comes. the eorrupt form, Xisuthrus. Dojgres Costello in"Hoah's Urk” with George OBrien-Warner Bros Production Production No. 17—Cut or Mat This absorbing account of the flood legends of the world—-gathered from the Brittanica and other sources—may be used s a Sunday feature with illustrations from press book—or in eight daily installments—preceding the coming of “Noah’s Ark” Polynesia also gives us most welcome assistance, for its flood stories still present clear traces of the primitive imagination that the sky was a clear, blue sea, on which the sun, moon and stars (or constellations) were voyagers. Greece, too, supplies some stimulus to thought, nor are Iran and Egypt as unproductive as some have supposed. But the only pauses that we can allow ourselves are in Hindustan, Babylonia and Canaan. The peoples of these three countries, which are religiously so prominent in antiquity, ave naturally connected théi name equally with thoughts about] © earth production and earth desttuction. Babylonian legends will be entertainingly chronicled in tomorrow’s issue of the.... II. Flood Legends COMING “NOAH’S ARK” STIRS UP INTEREST IN FLOOD MYTHS Curious myths of floods current in many lands are brought to mind by the coming of the spectacular “Noah’s Ark.” The Indian tradition exists in several forms. The earliest is preserved in the Satapatha Brahmana. It is there related that Manu, the first man, the son of the sun-god Vivasvat, found in bathing, a small fish which asked to be tended, and in reward promised to save him in the coming flood. The fish grew and at last had to be carried to the sea, where it revealed to Manu the time of the flood, and bade him construct a ship for his deliverance. When the time came, Manu, unaccompanied, went on board; the grateful fish towed the ship through the water to the summit of the northern mountain, where it bade Manu bind the vessel to a tree. Gradually, as the waters fell, Manu descended the mountain; he then sacrificed and prayed. In a year’s time his prayer was granted. A woman appeared who called herself his daughter Ida (goddess of fertility). It is neither stated, nor even hinted, that sin was the cause of the flood. Another version occurs in the great epic, the Mahabharata. The lacunae of the earlier story are here supplied. Manu, for instance, embarks with the seven “rishis” or wise men, and takes with him all kinds of seed. The fish announces himself as the god Brahma, and enables Manu to create both gods and men. Base sa Aa Scene From Uoshs Ark” starring Dolores Costello with: George OBrien : ~ @ Warner Bros. Production at) Production No. 18—Cut or Mat A third account is given in the Bhagvata Purana. It contains the details of the announcement of the flood, seven days beforehand (cf. Gen. vii-4) and of taking pairs of all kinds of animals (cf. Gen. vi-19) besides the seeds of plants (as the epic; cf. Gen. vi-21). This story, however, is a late composition, not earlier than the twelfth century A. D. A first glance at these stories is somewhat bewildering. The Biblical and the Babylonian deluge stories remain to be considered. Neither need be described here in detail; for the former see Gen. vi. 5-lx.17, and for the latter Gilgamesh. As most students are aware, the Biblical story is composite, being made up of two narratives, the few lacunae in which are due the ancient redactor who worked them together. The narrators are conveniently designated as “J” (the Yahwist, from the divine name Yahweh) and “P” (the Priestly Writer), respectively. It is important to notice that P, though chronologically later than J, reproduces certain elements which must be archaic. For instance, when J speaks only of a “rain storm,” P states that “all the fountains of the great ocean were broken up, and the windows of heaven opened” (Gen. vii.ii), i. e., the lower and the upper waters met together and produced the deluge. It is also P who tells the story of the appointment of the rainbow (Gen. Ix. 1217) which is evidently ancient, though only paralleled in a Liuthunaan flood story, and near it we find the divine declaration (Ger Ix. 2-6) that the golden age universal peace (cf. Gen. i. 9, 30); already sadly tarnished, is over. Surely this has a touch of the archaic; nor can we err in connecting it with the tradition of man’s first home in Paradise, where no enemy could come, because in the original form of the tradition, Paradise was the abode of God. Other interesting legends in tomorrow’s issue. FLOOD LEGENDS Continued on pages twenty three and twenty-four of this