Which ancient Babylonian epic features Utnapishtim as a flood survivor?

The story behind the answer

The Epic of Gilgamesh features Utnapishtim as a flood survivor.

In the flood episode of the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a large boat and preserve life from a divinely sent flood. Utnapishtim later releases birds to determine whether the waters have receded, creating a well-known parallel with the Genesis account of Noah.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is preserved on clay tablets, especially in the standard Babylonian version associated with the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. Its flood story is embedded in the larger quest of Gilgamesh for wisdom and immortality.

Utnapishtim is not Noah under a different spelling; he belongs to a distinct Mesopotamian literary tradition. The names, divine characters, narrative setting, and details differ, although the flood-survivor motif and several story elements are comparable.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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