In the Atrahasis Epic, the god Enki warns Atrahasis about the coming flood. Enki, called Ea in later Akkadian tradition, communicates the warning indirectly so that Atrahasis can build a vessel and preserve life.
The Atrahasis Epic is a Mesopotamian story preserved in cuneiform tablets dating to the second millennium BCE. Its flood narrative is an important comparison text for the Noah story and the flood account in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the poem, the gods plan a devastating flood, while Enki acts to save Atrahasis.
The divine roles are different from the Genesis account. Genesis presents one God giving instructions directly to Noah. The Atrahasis Epic instead features a group of gods whose decisions and disagreements shape the disaster. The warning deity is therefore a crucial detail when comparing the traditions.
Enki should not be confused with Enlil, who is associated with the decision to send the flood in the Atrahasis story. Nor should Atrahasis be treated as simply another spelling of Noah; he is the hero of a separate Mesopotamian tradition.