Compare Noah and the flood to the one Utnapishtim tells about the flood in The Epic of Gilgamesh

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Reading through the Bible, Genesis; 6-9, I realized how Noah and the ark's story was different
from the story of Utnapishtim, yet so similar that the human race was almost exterminated. As
much as the two stories have many similarities, they are from two different religious groups;
Noah and the ark are narrated in the Bible while Utnapishtim is from the Epic of Gilgamesh,
where both men were considered righteous in both stories. This paper will discuss and compare
Utnapishtim and Noah's story, as accounted in The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible.
According to the Bible, God sends a flood that would wipe out all creatures on earth except for
Noah's family and two of every creature on earth (male and female). God's key reason to send
the flood was that every man had sinned, and there was too much evil in all human beings'
hearts. On the other hand, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the flood resulted from human beings
uproar, which would not let god Enlil sleep. The first similarity between the two comes when
Enlil orders Utnapishtim to build a boat and save seeds from all creatures on earth. Similarly, in
Genesis, God orders Noah to build an ark and save himself, his family, and two of every creature
on earth (Genesis 6-9). In both stories, human beings are portrayed as knowledgeable beings, as
they can tell what is right and wrong. The boat and the ark both rest on mountain tops after the
flood, Mt. Nisir and Mt. Ararat- “And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth
day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat” (Gen 8;4). Once the ark and the boat rested,
Noah and Utnapishtim send birds on three different occasions to know if the land was still

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flooded. The last similarity was that both heroes (Noah and Utnapishtim) sacrificed each to their
god after they finally descended from the ark and the boat.
Several factors make these stories different; the first fact is that in Noah's story, human beings
had the freedom to choose their fate, whether to get in the ark or not. Unfortunately, they did not
buy the idea to leave alone, believing Noah. For Utnapishtim, things were different as Enlil
choose who and what to save. This difference is significant, showing that gods behave in an
unethical manner and do not give humans any freedom. In contrast, God does not interfere with
your freedom of choice. The second difference that stood out was that Utnapishtim was both a
great leader and a worrier, while Noah was just an ordinary man. Showing that gods preferred
someone strong in their eyes and men's eyes, but God wanted who is righteous and obedient. The
flood period was a key difference between the two stories; the Bible accounts that “And the rain
was upon the earth forty days and forty nights” (Gen 7; 12), while, according to The Epic of
Gilgamesh, the flood lasted six days and nights. After the floods, both Noah and Utnapishtim
sent three birds; Noah started with a raven then a dove twice, signifying that a dove was a sign of
peace. For Utnapishtim, he first sends a dove, which returned, showing there was no anywhere to
land, then a swallow which had the same result, and finally, a raven which did not return (had
found food and dry land). The Raven becomes a symbol of violence.

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Works Cited
Genesis 6-9. Noah And The Floods. 2020.