The Bible’s True Story of Deucalion and Pyrrha: The Similarities

Noah’s Ark Ideal Pious Couple

God told Noah “I will destroy The son of the immortal Titan They were both warned that
from the earth the people I Prometheus, Deucalion is there will be a flood that will
have created. And with them, warned by his father of the wash out all living things.
the animals, birds, and coming Bronze Age-ending
creeping things” (Genesis 6:5– flood.
7).

God said to him, “I will Deucalion builds a small boat

establish My covenant with to carry him and his cousin-
you; you will go into the ark wife Pyrrha, the daughter of
with your wife, your sons, and Prometheus' brother
their wives” (Genesis 6:8–10, Epimetheus and Pandora to
18). safety.

God said to Noah, “I am going Jupiter invokes the

to destroy all flesh because floodwaters, opening the
the world is full of violence. waters of the sky and sea
Build an ark of gopherwood, together, and water covers
with rooms inside, three the entire earth and wipes out
decks, and a door. Cover it every living creature. When
inside and out with pitch.” Jupiter sees that all life has
And Noah did exactly as God been extinguished except for
commanded him (Genesis the ideal pious married couple
6:13–22). —Deucalian ("son of
forethought") and Pyrrha
God also told Noah, “Take ("daughter of afterthought")
with you seven pairs of all —he sends the north wind to
clean animals, the male and scatter the clouds and mist;
his mate, and a pair of the he calms the waters and the
animals that are not clean, the floods subside.
male and his mate, and seven
pairs of the birds of the Deucalion and Pyrrha survive
heavens also, male and in the skiff for nine days, and
female, to keep their offspring when their boat lands on Mt.
alive on the face of all the Parnassus, they discover that
earth” (Genesis 7:2–3, ESV). they are the only ones left.
They go to the springs of
So Noah and his family went Cephisus, and visit the temple
into the Ark because of the of Themis to ask for help in
coming Flood. And every land repairing the human race.
animal after its kind went with
them, two by two, male and Themis replies that they are
female, just as God had to "Leave the temple and with
commanded. And the Lord veiled heads and loosened
shut the door (Genesis 7:7– clothes throw behind you the
16). bones of your great mother."
 Deucalion and Pyrrha are at
Then the Flood began. The first confused, but eventually
fountains of the deep broke recognize that the "great
open, and the windows of mother" is a reference to
heaven were opened. Rain mother earth, and the
poured for forty days and "bones" are stones. They did
forty nights. The waters rose as recommended, and the
until every high hill on the stones soften and turn into
earth was covered. Everything human bodies—humans that
that lived on land perished in no longer have a relationship
the raging floodwaters to the gods. The other animals
(Genesis 7:17–24). are spontaneously created
from the earth.
The waters flooded the earth
for one hundred and fifty Eventually, Deucalion and
days. And God remembered Pyrrha settle in Thessaly
Noah and the animals on the where they produce offspring
Ark. The waters receded and the old-fashioned way. Their
the Ark came to rest on the two sons were Hellen and
mountains of Ararat (Genesis Amphictyon. Hellen sired
8:1–5). Aeolus (founder of the
Aeolians), Dorus (founder of
After sending out a raven, the Dorians), and Xuthus.
Noah sent out a dove to see if Xuthus sired Achaeus
there was dry ground. But it (founder of the Achaeans) and
came back having found Ion (founder of the Ionians).
nowhere to perch. After seven
days, Noah sent it back out
and it came back with a fresh
olive leaf in its mouth. And
Noah knew the ground was
drying (Genesis 8:6–12).

Then God told Noah, “Come

out of the ark. And bring the
animals with you so they can
be fruitful and multiply and fill
the earth.” So Noah and his
family came out with all the
animals (Genesis 8:13–19).

Then Noah built an altar and

offered burnt offerings to the
Lord on it. And God said,
“Never again will I curse the
ground because of man or
send a flood to destroy all
living things, even though
mankind’s heart is evil from
childhood.” And God blessed
Noah and his family saying,
“Be fruitful and increase in
number and fill the earth”
(Genesis 8:20–22).