Mythology · 3

The flood hero in the Epic of Gilgamesh — the figure who survived a divine deluge and was granted immortality — is known by what name?

Answer

Utnapishtim

Utnapishtim is the immortal flood survivor in the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The gods warned him of the coming flood, instructing him to build a vessel; after surviving, he was granted eternal life by the gods. His story is the version of the flood myth most directly embedded in the Gilgamesh epic.

💡 Did you know?

Gilgamesh's flood story predates Noah's by over a thousand years, appearing on Sumerian clay tablets written before the Hebrew Bible existed.

Other options people guess

  • Enkidu
  • Ziusudra
  • Humbaba

Topics

  • mesopotamian
  • gilgamesh
  • flood-myth
  • babylonian

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In which ancient Mesopotamian epic does a great flood story appear that predates the biblical account of Noah by over a thousand years?

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