Epic of Atrahasis

The "Epic of Atrahasis" is an ancient Babylonian text that chronicles the story of Atrahasis, a man favored by the gods. The narrative explores themes of creation, humanity's relationship with the divine, and the consequences of human actions.

The epic begins with the creation of humanity, fashioned from clay and the blood of a slain god, to serve the deities. However, as humans multiply, they become noisy and disruptive, prompting the gods to become irritated. In response, the gods decide to send a series of calamities to reduce the human population. 

The first two plagues fail to contain humanity, leading to a famine. Eventually, the gods agree to flood the earth to wipe out the humans entirely. However, the god Enki, who favors Atrahasis, warns him about the impending flood. He instructs Atrahasis to build a large boat to save himself, his family, and pairs of each animal species.

After the flood, the gods regret their decision to annihilate humanity and come to appreciate the silence of the survivors, realizing the necessity of humans to maintain worship and offerings. They create new measures to ensure human population control, including mortality and infertility. The epic concludes by emphasizing the relationship between humanity and the divine, highlighting the balance required to maintain harmony in the world.