Utnapishtim

Utnapishtim, also rendered Ut-napishtim, is a figure in Mesopotamian mythology best known from the Epic of Gilgamesh. In most traditions he is described as the son of Ubara-Tutu, the king of Shuruppak, and as a mortal granted eternal life by the gods after surviving a great flood.

In the flood narrative, the gods decide to destroy humanity with a deluge. The wise man Utnapishtim is warned by the god Ea to abandon normal mortality and to build a large boat with specific dimensions. He gathers his family and representatives of all living creatures, and after the flood waters recede, the boat comes to rest on a mountainside. The gods then grant Utnapishtim and his wife immortality, allowing them to live forever at the edge of the world.

In the Gilgamesh epic, Gilgamesh seeks eternal life and learns the story of Utnapishtim from him. Utnapishtim tests Gilgamesh by challenging him to stay awake for six days and seven nights, which Gilgamesh fails. He then recounts the flood and his own immortality, and reveals the existence of a plant that can restore youth. Gilgamesh retrieves the plant but a serpent steals it, leaving him unable to restore youth for humanity. The encounter emphasizes themes about human mortality and the limits of human desire for everlasting life.

Scholars view Utnapishtim as a central figure in the Mesopotamian flood myth, with parallels to other ancient flood narratives. His story appears in various versions of the Gilgamesh tradition, and it is frequently discussed in studies of ancient Near Eastern religion and literature.