By Linda Wiggen Kraft
We’ve all heard the story of Noah, the Ark and animals two by two. But we haven’t heard about Noah’s wife Naamah, who saved the plants of the world from the great flood.
I first became aware of Naamah in a children’s book titled Noah’s Wife, The Story of Naamah*. The book tells the story of how Noah was instructed by God to build an ark and gather all the animals, two by two. His wife Naamah was instructed to walk the earth and gather seeds from all the plants of earth. She tied an apron with many pockets around her waist. Her feet were like wings so she could travel far distances and not get tired. Her travels took her to forests to gather cones from redwoods, acorns from oaks, nuts from pecans and winged seeds of maples. She gathered seeds of sunflowers and blooming plants from amaryllis to zinnias. She filled a large basket with seeds of fruit trees and foods from apples to zucchini. The seeds she gathered were not to be eaten in the ark during the great flood, but to be scattered across the earth once the rains stopped.
After forty days and nights of rain, a raven was sent from the ark with the seed of an olive tree in its beak. The raven was asked to drop the seed on dry land so it could grow. Later a white dove was sent from the ark. Namaah told the dove to look for an olive tree and to bring a branch back to the ark. When the dove returned with a branch, Namaah and Noah knew it was a sign from God to return to the land.
Noah led the animals from the ark. Namaah carefully began to seed the earth. Her work carried her across the globe. All the plants of earth took root and grew, from small one-celled sea plants to the giant redwoods. They grew in rain forests and deserts, in sun and shade, in heat and cold. God saw the loving care she bestowed upon the earth and gave her the name Emzerah, Mother of Seed.
The story of Noah and Naamah isn’t the end of the story. We too are being summoned to save the life of plants and animals of our earth just as Noah and Naamah were called. Let your garden be an ark.
Noah’s Wife, The Story of Namaah written by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen.
Linda Wiggen Kraft is a landscape designer who creates holistic and organic gardens. She is also a mandala artist and creativity workshop leader. Her blog and website are at: www.CreativityForTheSoul.com. Her # is (314) 504-4266.