In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim built the flood-survival boat comparable to Noah’s Ark. The god Ea warns Utnapishtim of a coming flood and instructs him to build a boat, preserve life, and survive the catastrophe.
The Mesopotamian flood story appears on tablets associated with the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Utnapishtim later tells Gilgamesh about the flood, making the account a story within the larger epic. The character is therefore not Gilgamesh, the epic’s central hero, and not Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s companion.
Utnapishtim is also identified with Atrahasis in related Mesopotamian traditions. Similarities between these stories and Genesis have led to extensive comparative study, but the characters and details belong to distinct literary traditions.