In the Bible, Ham was one of Noah's three sons, the brother of Shem and Japheth, and father of Canaan. He is described as helping Noah to build the ark, but after the Flood his son Canaan is cursed by God for Ham's apparent sin ofl having seen "the nakedness of his father". This curse may be an attempt to explain the later subjugation of the Canaanites to Israel as resulting from Canaanite sexual perversion.