Ark
by Jasinda Wilder, Jack Wilder
Foreword
The story of the Great Flood as told in Genesis chapters 6–8 is one that has long fascinated me. The details were so few, and as a child my vivid imagination left me wondering what it must have been like to be Noah, or one of his sons, to build this enormous boat completely on faith, to watch animals come seemingly of their own accord, to witness Earth flood. I wondered, and I wondered, and I wondered, and finally, I decided to put my imagination to work and explore the story by trying to write it.
Another aspect that has always intrigued me occurs within a few sentences in Genesis chapter 6 that hint at a culture of half-angels, the bastard children of other-than humans who once walked this earth. Known as the Nephilim, I have always wondered about them and their society, at their world so deviant, so vile, so violent that it was wiped away wholesale.
Ancient cultures such as the Sumerians, the proto-Chinese of the Far East, South American peoples, the aborigines of Australia, and the great seafaring races in the islands of Indonesia all have oral and written stories of a great flood. Historical, geological, and archeological records all bear out this story. What’s more, these records and stories are all from the same general epoch, which just happens to coincide with the timeline set out in the book of Genesis.
This is not a religious novel; it isn’t even necessarily spiritual. It is a fantasy, a fictional novel placed in an historical setting, within the context of a Biblical story. It is not meant to inform anyone’s beliefs, to challenge anyone’s worldviews, nor is it attempting to communicate a larger message. Don’t believe in a worldwide flood? That’s OK. Then consider this story nothing more than fantasy, like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.
Whatever you believe I hope you enjoy reading this book because it is, and has been and will continue to be, a fascinating story for me.
PEOPLE
Aresia: The only daughter and youngest child of King Emmen-Utu; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Ah-REE-zee-ya) Japheth: Oldest son of Noah; a human. He is mentioned in the Bible, but there is no indication as to the birth order of Noah’s sons, so making him the eldest is a bit of a literary liberty on my part. (Pronunciation: JAY-feth) Noah: Japheth’s father, builder of the ark. (Pronunciation: NO-ah)
Emmen-Utu: King of Bad-Tibira, Aresia’s father; a Nephilim. He is a real, historical figure, although in historical records his name is En-men-lu-ana, or Emmen-Luana; I changed his name to sound more masculine to modern readers. (Pronunciation: EH-men OO-too) Irkalla: Aresia’s maidservant, and only friend; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Ihr-KAH-lah)
Kichu: Oldest son of King Emmen-Utu, crown prince of Bad-Tibira; a Nephilim; not a historical figure. (Pronunciation: KEE-choo).
Dummuzi: A son of Emmen-Utu; not a historical figure; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Doo-MOO-zee) Algar: A son of Emmen-Utu; not a historical figure; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: AL-gar)
Immuru: A son of Emmen-Utu; not a historical figure; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: ee-MOO-roo)
Zin-Suddu: A son of Emmen-Utu; not a historical figure; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Zin SOO-doo) Zara: Noah’s wife, Japheth’s mother. Only the men are mentioned by name in the Bible, so she is a fictional character; a human. (Pronunciation: ZA-rah) Neses: betrothed to Japheth; daughter of Namus; a fictional character; a human. (Pronunciation: NEH-seez) Sedele: Shem’s wife; daughter of Namus, Neses’s and Sedele’s sister; a fictional character; a human. (Pronunciation: SEH-deh-lah) Ne’eletama: Ham’s wife; daughter of Namus, Neses’s and Sedele’s sister; a fictional character; a human. (Pronunciation: NEH-leh-tah-mah) Enkidu: personal bodyguard to Emmen-Utu, captain of the king’s personal guard; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Enk-EE-doo) Sin-Iddim: a real, historical king of Larsa; his name is also rendered Sin-Idnim; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Sin id-EEM) Zidan: Japheth’s best friend, and a fellow mercenary and warrior; a human. (Pronunciation: ZEE-dahn) Urugan: a human merchant. (Pronunciation: oo-rooh-GAHN)
Mesh-te: High Priest of Ereshkigal in the city of Ur; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Mesh TEY)
Argandea: King of Uruk, a fictional character; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: ahr-GAHN-dee-yah)
Lugash: A general from Larsa; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: LOO-gash)
Mirra: a healer in the city of Larsa; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: MEER-ah)
Sannin: a Nephilim male mentioned by Mirra. (Pronunciation: San-in)
Jorin: a Nephilim male mentioned by Mirra (Pronunciation: JORE-in)
Dagan: General from Larsa; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: Dah-gahn)
Amar: Crown prince of Uruk, slain in battle by Japheth. (Pronunciation: Ah-MAR)
Uresh: a warrior of Larsa; a Nephilim. (Pronunciation: YOOR-esh)
Namus: Noah’s business partner, transported crops from Noah’s farm to Bad-Tibira; Neses’s father; a human. (Pronunciation: NAY-muss)
1
Nephilim
“. . . The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose . . . the Nephilim were on the earth in those days . . . those were the might men who were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:2–4 (NASB)
Bad-Tibira, Ancient Sumer, circa 2400 B.C.
Normally, the feel of the brush running through my hair was relaxing. It was always the last thing my maidservant, Irkalla, did for me before I retired to my bed. The soothing strokes through my glossy auburn hair, Irkalla’s quick, sure fingers dancing and tugging and untangling, her voice often lilting in some song, a lullaby or a hymn to Inanna . . . I was frequently half asleep before Irkalla even finished.