In the Epic of Gilgamesh, what name does the flood survivor use after building his boat?

The story behind the answer

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood survivor is named Utnapishtim.

Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh how the god Ea warned him to build a boat and preserve life from a coming flood. He loads his family, craftsmen, animals, and valuable possessions aboard. After the storm, the boat comes to rest on Mount Nimush, and Utnapishtim sends out birds to discover whether the waters have receded.

The episode is one of the most famous flood narratives from ancient Mesopotamia. It shares motifs with other traditions, including a divine warning, a large boat, surviving animals, and birds sent out after the flood. The account in the Epic of Gilgamesh is not identical to Genesis, and its hero’s name is not Noah.

Utnapishtim is also closely connected with the figure Atrahasis in Mesopotamian literature. In some traditions and scholarly discussions, the characters are treated as related or corresponding flood heroes. For this question, the name used by the Epic of Gilgamesh is specifically Utnapishtim.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: