So, check this interesting visual out from a Creationist website:
| D = Destruction by Water | ||||||
| . | G = (God) Divine Cause | |||||
| . | W = Warning Given | |||||
| . | H = Humans Spared | |||||
| . | A = Animals Spared | |||||
| . | V = Preserved in a Vessel | |||||
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 01 Australia- Kurnai |
| D | . | W | H | A | V | 02 Babylon- Berossus’ account |
| D | G | W | H | A | V | 03 Babylon- Gilgamesh epic |
| D | G | W | H | . | V | 04 Bolivia- Chiriguano |
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 05 Borneo- Sea Dayak |
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 06 Burma- Singpho |
| D | G | . | H | A | V | 07 Canada- Cree |
| D | G | W | H | A | V | 08 Canada- Montagnais |
| D | G | . | H | A | V | 09 China- Lolo |
| D | . | W | H | A | V | 10 Cuba- original natives |
| D | G | W | H | A | V | 11 East Africa- Masai |
| D | G | W | H | . | V | 12 Egypt- Book of the Dead |
| D | G | . | H | . | V | 13 Fiji- Walavu-levu tradition |
| D | G | W | H | A | . | 14 French Polynesia- Raiatea |
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 15 Greece- Lucian’s account |
| D | G | . | H | A | V | 16 Guyana- Macushi |
| D | G | . | H | . | V | 17 Iceland- Eddas |
| D | G | . | H | . | V | 18 India- Andaman Islands |
| D | . | W | H | A | V | 19 India- Bhil |
| D | G | W | H | . | V | 20 India-Kamar |
| D | . | W | H | A | . | 21 Iran- Zend-Avesta |
| D | G | . | H | . | V | 22 Italy- Ovid’s poetry |
| D | G | . | H | . | V | 23 Malay Peninsula- Jekun |
| D | . | W | H | . | V | 24 Mexico- Codex Chimalpopoca |
| D | . | W | H | A | V | 25 Mexico- Huichol |
| D | G | . | H | . | V | 26 New Zealand- Maori |
| D | . | W | H | A | . | 27 Peru- Indians of Huarochiri |
| D | . | W | H | . | V | 28 X . Russia- Vogul |
| D | . | W | H | A | V | 29 U.S.A. (Alaska)- Kolusches |
| D | G | . | H | A | V | 30 U.S.A. (Alaska)- Tlingit |
| D | . | W | H | A | V | 31 U.S.A. (Arizona)- Papago |
| D | G | . | H | A | V | 32 U.S.A. (Hawaii)- legend of Nu-u |
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 33 Vanualu- Melanesians |
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 34 Vietnam- Bahnar |
| D | . | . | H | A | V | 35 Wales- Dwyfan/Dwyfan legend |
| 35 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 24 | 32 | Total Occurrences out of 35 |
Now, this information effectively shows that the motif of a divine global flood is commonplace, both predating and postdating the biblical account. Christians use this as evidence for a global flood, and then use the fact of a global flood to narrow down to the biblical one.
The problems with this are legion:
1) Many flood accounts predate the biblical flood
2) All geological evidence points away from a global flood
3) All paleontological evidence points away from a global flood
4) All genetic analyses of organisms and their geographical distribution point away from a global flood
etc etc
So the real problem for proponents of a global flood thesis is the refutation of counter-evidence and the establishment of positive evidence. The fact that other cultures have similar myths is not evidence. Not at all. There are witches and goblins, magic and whatnot in all cultures. This does not make the stories containing them any the more true.
