Matsya

Indian mythology · avatar · rescue, preservation of knowledge

Vishnu's fish avatar, who warned Manu of the coming deluge and towed his ship to safety over the flood, saving humankind, the sages, and the Vedas themselves.

Stories

The Flood and the Fish

A tiny fish in Manu's washing-water asks for protection and outgrows every vessel, then reveals itself as Vishnu. Warned of the deluge, Manu builds a ship and lashes it to the great fish's horn; towed over the drowned world, he carries the seeds of every living thing into the new age.