Utnapishtim is the ancient Mesopotamian flood hero who builds a boat in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In the flood story embedded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a great boat and preserve life from a coming flood. Utnapishtim follows the instructions, survives the catastrophe, and later tells Gilgamesh what happened. His story is one of the best-known ancient parallels to the Noah narrative.
The comparison does not mean that the two texts are identical. Utnapishtim's account has different divine characters, measurements, narrative details, and theological setting. The Mesopotamian story also appears in relationship to earlier flood traditions, including the Atrahasis tradition.
A frequent mistake is to answer “Gilgamesh,” because the episode appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is the king who hears the account; Utnapishtim is the survivor who builds the boat and recounts the Flood.