Utnapishtim appears in the
Epic of Gilgamesh as one of the two
human survivors of a great
flood. The other survivor was his wife.
Although the
gods had agreed to kill everything on Earth, Utnapishtim was
secretly informed of the plan and constructed a boat to save himself and
representatives of each species of animal. He and his wife were granted immortality after the flood.
This legend is similar to the legend of Noah's ark. It is assumed that the author of this part of the Bible has had knowledge of the Epic of Gilgamesh.