Atrahasis is the Mesopotamian flood hero named in the Atrahasis Epic.
The Old Babylonian Atrahasis Epic tells how the god Enki, also called Ea, warns Atrahasis about a devastating flood. Atrahasis builds a boat, preserves living creatures, and survives the catastrophe. The surviving text is one of the major ancient Mesopotamian flood narratives.
Atrahasis is related to, but distinct from, Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Utnapishtim’s flood account is closely connected to the older Mesopotamian tradition, but the two names belong to different literary works and versions of the story.
The Genesis narrative likewise features a warned survivor, a vessel, animals, and a worldwide flood within its own theological framework. Similar motifs do not make Atrahasis the name of Noah or of the biblical Ark.