Which Babylonian hero survives a great flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh?

Utnapishtim survives a great flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the epic’s flood episode, the god Ea warns him to build a boat and preserve living creatures, while the other gods bring a devastating storm.

Utnapishtim’s story appears when Gilgamesh seeks a way to escape death. Utnapishtim tells him that the gods granted him and his wife immortality after he survived the flood. He later tests Gilgamesh with a task involving staying awake, demonstrating that the hero cannot overcome ordinary human limits.

The flood narrative includes motifs familiar from the Noah story: divine warning, a specially built vessel, preservation of life, a catastrophic storm, birds sent out to test whether the waters have receded, and a sacrifice after landing. These similarities are central to comparative studies of ancient Near Eastern flood traditions.

Utnapishtim is not the boat builder in the Genesis account; that role belongs to Noah. Nor is Gilgamesh the flood survivor. Gilgamesh is the king and questing hero who hears Utnapishtim’s testimony.