In the Epic of Gilgamesh, what is the flood hero called?

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood hero is called Utnapishtim. The god Ea warns him of a coming flood and instructs him to build a large boat, making him a major parallel to Noah in ancient flood literature.

Utnapishtim’s story appears in the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, especially in Tablet XI. He tells Gilgamesh how he built the vessel, brought aboard living creatures and skilled workers, and survived the storm. After the flood, he released birds to determine whether the waters had receded.

The account shares motifs with Genesis, including divine warning, a boat, preservation of life, birds, and a mountain landing. Scholars debate the precise relationship between the traditions, but the Babylonian text is older than the surviving written form of Genesis. Utnapishtim should not be confused with Gilgamesh, the epic’s main human hero.