Olives and Olive Oil in Monotheistic Religions - The Flood Myth
29-11-2024
15:32
Tufan, Leon François Comerre (1850-1916), French painter academic famous for his female portraits and oriental studies.
Photo: Carrier pigeon, Museum of Communications, Berlin. Before Paul Julius Reuter founded his own news agency, he had established a system of pigeon-based news transmission between Brussels and Aachen, which allowed him to quickly transmit stock market data. At that time, while pigeons could travel between these two cities in 2 hours, trains could only travel in 6 hours. Reuter was also the first to realize the commercial potential of the telegraph, and in 1851 the telegraph replaced pigeons, and began to transmit not only stock market data but also news data.
Compiled by: Uğur Saraçoğlu ( ugisaracoglu@yahoo.com.tr )
Flood stories are symbolic narratives of resurrection and creation through water. A period ends with the flood and a new one begins. It is a type of myth that is common in many societies living in different parts of the world. On the other hand, the beliefs and rituals of societies related to water vary widely in terms of meaning, from divinity to cleanliness and purification.
The most famous one is Noah's flood. Its origin is the Sumerian flood myth in the Near East. However, the written tablets telling the flood myth belonging to the Sumerians are missing. Their translations are controversial. More details have been reached in the similar myth belonging to Babylon. The story is told in detail in the longest and best preserved of the twelve tablets containing the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, who is trying to reach the secrets of immortality, reaches Utnapishtim, who has reached these secrets during his journey. Utnapishtim tells him the story of the flood. It is also among the possibilities that people may have climbed a tower in Utnapishtim's story. Because; ziggurats (high towers) built in the city-states of that time are one of the characteristics of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. The bird that plays a role in this version is the raven. The fact that the flood myth was known in a wide area in the ancient Near East has also been confirmed by the discovery of Hittite and Hurrian parts of the myth. There are multiple evidence-based hypotheses about how the flood occurred—a rise in sea level in the Persian Gulf at the end of an ice age, a massive hurricane from the Indian Ocean, a massive flood from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, or a huge, rare geological event.
In the worship of the Egyptian Goddess Isis, the ritual of immersing the newborn baby in water and then taking it out is not a flood myth, but it is a symbolic expression of ending life with water and beginning a new life. A similar, albeit different, version of this ritual still continues in today's Christianity as the baptism ritual.
The Egyptian civilization rose in the Nile River valley, while the Mesopotamian civilization rose in the valley formed by the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The similarity in beliefs and legends is based on the similarity of lifestyles shaped by the geographies in which both civilizations rose. Excavations in various parts of Mesopotamia have proven that ancient cities, such as Ur and Kish, were subject to severe floods. However, no evidence of a flood that engulfed all cities and affected the entire geography has been found. Moreover, archaeological findings have revealed that the dates when the cities were subjected to the flood were not the same. Among the holy books, only the Quran states that the flood occurred in a local place.
The Hebrew flood story in the Old Testament (Torah) is the most detailed, best preserved and least translation-problematic version in terms of written sources. It was probably transferred to the Torah from the Babylonian civilization after the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people. The form of the Torah we have today was probably created by the compilation of writers of Jehovah and Priest origin, spanning several centuries. The compilers were probably informed not only by their own beliefs but also by the beliefs of the geography they migrated to and the people they lived with. In the Torah version, the first bird released from the ship to see if the waters had receded is a raven, but the raven did not return. Then a dove was sent. The dove sent by Noah seven days after his ship ran aground returned with a freshly plucked olive branch in its beak. This time, God extended the olive branch that the goddess Athena had extended to the god Poseidon in ancient Greek myths to Noah through a dove. Athena's attribute was the owl, but in this story the role belongs to the dove. From that day to this, the dove has been the symbol of hope, new life, well-being and peace. The olive tree, which resisted the destructive power of the flood and the chaos it created, became the symbol of the cosmos with its immortality on the one hand, and of reconciliation with the punishing God on the other.
Even when the olive tree reaches the end of its life and its trunk dries out, or is cut from the very base due to a disease and left alone, it can still form a new trunk from new shoots sprouting from the ground close to its roots. For this reason, it is called the “Immortal Tree”.
The claim that Noah's Ark landed on Mount Cudi rather than Mount Ararat is based on the fact that there are many wild olive trees on Mount Cudi and Gabar, which are one thousand meters high.
In human imagination, birds have sometimes been a means of communication between God and humans, and sometimes a sign of the holy spirit.
In Ancient Egypt, where the ancestors of the Hebrew people migrated, there was a belief that releasing doves in all directions would bring good news to the country and the gods. The people respected, protected and loved doves. In Greek mythology, one of the animal symbols that represents Aphrodite is the dove. The dove is also called the "Kythere Bird" because Venus, the equivalent of Aphrodite in Roman myths, had a temple in Kythere.
In the Shamanism belief, the soul of the deceased turns into a bird and rises to the sky, and this belief is quite common among the Turks. Among the Uyghur Turks, especially the pigeon and swallow play the leading role in myths. The flood legend is also told among the Altai Turks. The emergence of the name “Turfan”, one of the important cities of East Turkestan, is also associated with a flood event that took place. In most of the Turkic tribes, the swallow and its characteristics are based on the “Noah’s Flood” event. In the “Flood legend” of the Altai Turks, the raven, magpie and crow land on the carrion during their journey and neglect their real work. The pigeon returns with a branch in its beak, and thus it is understood that land is near. In the belief of the people of that time, the pigeon is a bird that “brings news, symbolizes peace and is loyal”. The pigeon, which is a symbol of “fertility, abundance, friendship and loyalty” among the Uyghur Turks, has also been used as a “messenger” bird since the earliest times.
Today, although it has no religious meaning, the custom of releasing doves at marriage ceremonies continues, and an “olive branch” plucked from an olive tree still exists in the consciousness of modern man as a symbol of peace.
The most famous one is Noah's flood. Its origin is the Sumerian flood myth in the Near East. However, the written tablets telling the flood myth belonging to the Sumerians are missing. Their translations are controversial. More details have been reached in the similar myth belonging to Babylon. The story is told in detail in the longest and best preserved of the twelve tablets containing the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, who is trying to reach the secrets of immortality, reaches Utnapishtim, who has reached these secrets during his journey. Utnapishtim tells him the story of the flood. It is also among the possibilities that people may have climbed a tower in Utnapishtim's story. Because; ziggurats (high towers) built in the city-states of that time are one of the characteristics of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. The bird that plays a role in this version is the raven. The fact that the flood myth was known in a wide area in the ancient Near East has also been confirmed by the discovery of Hittite and Hurrian parts of the myth. There are multiple evidence-based hypotheses about how the flood occurred—a rise in sea level in the Persian Gulf at the end of an ice age, a massive hurricane from the Indian Ocean, a massive flood from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, or a huge, rare geological event.
In the worship of the Egyptian Goddess Isis, the ritual of immersing the newborn baby in water and then taking it out is not a flood myth, but it is a symbolic expression of ending life with water and beginning a new life. A similar, albeit different, version of this ritual still continues in today's Christianity as the baptism ritual.
The Egyptian civilization rose in the Nile River valley, while the Mesopotamian civilization rose in the valley formed by the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The similarity in beliefs and legends is based on the similarity of lifestyles shaped by the geographies in which both civilizations rose. Excavations in various parts of Mesopotamia have proven that ancient cities, such as Ur and Kish, were subject to severe floods. However, no evidence of a flood that engulfed all cities and affected the entire geography has been found. Moreover, archaeological findings have revealed that the dates when the cities were subjected to the flood were not the same. Among the holy books, only the Quran states that the flood occurred in a local place.
The Hebrew flood story in the Old Testament (Torah) is the most detailed, best preserved and least translation-problematic version in terms of written sources. It was probably transferred to the Torah from the Babylonian civilization after the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people. The form of the Torah we have today was probably created by the compilation of writers of Jehovah and Priest origin, spanning several centuries. The compilers were probably informed not only by their own beliefs but also by the beliefs of the geography they migrated to and the people they lived with. In the Torah version, the first bird released from the ship to see if the waters had receded is a raven, but the raven did not return. Then a dove was sent. The dove sent by Noah seven days after his ship ran aground returned with a freshly plucked olive branch in its beak. This time, God extended the olive branch that the goddess Athena had extended to the god Poseidon in ancient Greek myths to Noah through a dove. Athena's attribute was the owl, but in this story the role belongs to the dove. From that day to this, the dove has been the symbol of hope, new life, well-being and peace. The olive tree, which resisted the destructive power of the flood and the chaos it created, became the symbol of the cosmos with its immortality on the one hand, and of reconciliation with the punishing God on the other.
Even when the olive tree reaches the end of its life and its trunk dries out, or is cut from the very base due to a disease and left alone, it can still form a new trunk from new shoots sprouting from the ground close to its roots. For this reason, it is called the “Immortal Tree”.
The claim that Noah's Ark landed on Mount Cudi rather than Mount Ararat is based on the fact that there are many wild olive trees on Mount Cudi and Gabar, which are one thousand meters high.
In human imagination, birds have sometimes been a means of communication between God and humans, and sometimes a sign of the holy spirit.
In Ancient Egypt, where the ancestors of the Hebrew people migrated, there was a belief that releasing doves in all directions would bring good news to the country and the gods. The people respected, protected and loved doves. In Greek mythology, one of the animal symbols that represents Aphrodite is the dove. The dove is also called the "Kythere Bird" because Venus, the equivalent of Aphrodite in Roman myths, had a temple in Kythere.
In the Shamanism belief, the soul of the deceased turns into a bird and rises to the sky, and this belief is quite common among the Turks. Among the Uyghur Turks, especially the pigeon and swallow play the leading role in myths. The flood legend is also told among the Altai Turks. The emergence of the name “Turfan”, one of the important cities of East Turkestan, is also associated with a flood event that took place. In most of the Turkic tribes, the swallow and its characteristics are based on the “Noah’s Flood” event. In the “Flood legend” of the Altai Turks, the raven, magpie and crow land on the carrion during their journey and neglect their real work. The pigeon returns with a branch in its beak, and thus it is understood that land is near. In the belief of the people of that time, the pigeon is a bird that “brings news, symbolizes peace and is loyal”. The pigeon, which is a symbol of “fertility, abundance, friendship and loyalty” among the Uyghur Turks, has also been used as a “messenger” bird since the earliest times.
Today, although it has no religious meaning, the custom of releasing doves at marriage ceremonies continues, and an “olive branch” plucked from an olive tree still exists in the consciousness of modern man as a symbol of peace.
Photo: Carrier pigeon, Museum of Communications, Berlin. Before Paul Julius Reuter founded his own news agency, he had established a system of pigeon-based news transmission between Brussels and Aachen, which allowed him to quickly transmit stock market data. At that time, while pigeons could travel between these two cities in 2 hours, trains could only travel in 6 hours. Reuter was also the first to realize the commercial potential of the telegraph, and in 1851 the telegraph replaced pigeons, and began to transmit not only stock market data but also news data.
Compiled by: Uğur Saraçoğlu ( ugisaracoglu@yahoo.com.tr )
Source:
1. Middle Eastern Mythology, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Palestinian, Hittite, Jewish, Christian Myths, Samuel Henry Hooke, Translated from the original English by Alaeddin Şenel, İmge Bookstore, 1991.
2. Some Medicinal Plants and Their Myths; Compilation, Nilay Tarhan, Miray Arslan, Sevgi Şar, Lokman Hekim Journal, 016;6(1):1-9.
3. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2EEhJeYbtaY&feature=share.
4. Iconography of a Unique Stone House in Turgutreis Akyarlar – Fish, Pigeon, and Tree of Life – Article, Amisos, Volume 3, Issue 4 (June 2018), pp. 90-109.
5. Birds of the Flood Among Uyghur Turks, Adem Öger, Serkan Köse, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Turkish Language and Literature, International Journal of Uyghur Studies, Issue: 3, 2014, Page: 163-175.