In the Epic of Gilgamesh, what was the flood hero's name?

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood hero’s name is Utnapishtim.

Utnapishtim appears in the flood episode of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. The god Ea warns him of a coming flood and tells him to build a large boat, preserve living creatures, and survive the destruction. After the flood, Utnapishtim releases birds to discover whether the waters have receded.

The episode shares several recognizable motifs with Genesis, including divine warning, a boat, preservation of life, birds, and a post-flood sacrifice. Scholars compare the stories as part of the wider ancient Near Eastern flood tradition, while the texts differ in theology, names, details, and narrative emphasis.

Utnapishtim is not another name for Noah within Genesis. He is the corresponding flood survivor in the Gilgamesh tradition, and the comparison is literary and historical rather than evidence that the two characters are identical. The Babylonian account is preserved in cuneiform tablets, with the best-known flood section appearing on Tablet XI.