Utnapishtim is the flood survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient parallel to Noah.
In the flood story embedded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a large boat and preserve life from a coming catastrophe. Utnapishtim later describes the boat, the storm, the release of birds, and the offering made after reaching safety.
The account is not the same as Genesis, and Utnapishtim is not Noah under another name. The two narratives share recognizable motifs, including divine warning, a constructed vessel, a devastating flood, surviving humans and animals, and birds sent out to test conditions.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is preserved in cuneiform tablets, with the best-known flood episode appearing in Tablet XI of the standard Babylonian version. Its parallels are central to scholarly comparisons of ancient Mesopotamian and biblical flood traditions.