Manu
Manu South and Central AsiaHe is the Hindu Noah. One day, in the water which was brought to Manu for washing his hands, he discovered a tiny fish which begged him to spare its life. ‘Preserve me,’ said the fish, ‘and I will preserve you.’ When Manu asked how the fish could save him, he was told of an imminentflood, which would carry away all living things. So Manu put the fish in a pot, but it grew so rapidly that he was obliged to move it to a tank, a lake, and at last, the sea itself. Thereupon the fish predicted the flood and told Manu to prepare a ship against the danger, which he did. When the waters rose and Manu floated on their surface, the fish returned and towed the vessel by a cable fastened to its horn. Their journey was long and took them above the submerged peaks of the Himalayas. Lonely, Manu prayed for offspring and was granted a wife. From their union sprang the generations of Manu, progenitors of mankind.
In one myth the fish...
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