The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest works of literature, originally consisting of unconnected Sumerian stories that were combined into an Akkadian epic around 1900 BCE. It tells the story of Gilgamesh, a king of Uruk who is two-thirds god and one-third man. After his friend Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes on a quest for immortality and learns about a great flood from Utnapishtim, who was given eternal life by the gods. The flood story in Gilgamesh is one of the earliest surviving flood myths and has similarities to the biblical story of Noah.

1. Jason VanBibber

2.  The Epic of Gilgamesh, an
epic poem from
Mesopotamia, is amongst
the earliest surviving works
of literature.
 The literary history of
Gilgamesh begins with five
independent Sumerian
poems about 'Bilgamesh'
(Sumerian for Gilgamesh),
king of Uruk.
 The Epic of Gilgamesh
does not exist in a single
complete copy.

3.  The Epic of Gilgamesh began as a series of
unconnected Sumerian stories around 2150 BCE before
being combined into the oldest written epic by
Akkadian scholars around 1900 BCE.
 The later "Standard Babylonian" version dates from
the 13th to the 10th centuries BC and bears the incipit
Sha naqba īmuru ("He who Saw the Deep", in modern
terms: 'He who Sees the Unknown).
 The Epic of Gilgamesh is contained on twelve large
tablets, and since the original discovery, it has been
found on others, as well as having been translated into
other early languages.

4.  Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, who was two-thirds god
and one-third man.
 Although Gilgamesh was godlike in body and mind, he
began his kingship as a cruel despot.
 Gilgamesh can’t stop grieving for Enkidu, and he can’t
stop brooding about the prospect of his own death.

5.  The gods heard Gilgamesh subjects’ pleas and decided
to keep him in check by creating a wild man named
Enkidu, who was as magnificent as Gilgamesh.
 Enkidu lives with the animals, until a hunter discovers
him and domesticates him.
 The gods meet in council and agree that one of the two
friends must be punished for their transgression, and
they decide Enkidu is going to die. He takes ill, suffers
immensely, and shares his visions of the underworld
with Gilgamesh.

6.  Utnapishtim tells
Gilgamesh the story of the
flood—how the gods met
in council and decided to
destroy humankind.
 Ea, the god of wisdom,
warned Utnapishtim about
the gods’ plans and told
him how to fashion a
gigantic boat in which his
family and the seed of
every living creature might
escape.

7.  The story of a great flood that destroyed the earth was not
unique to the Hebrews, who recorded it in the Bible. The
Sumerians, who were earlier than the Hebrews, had their
own version of a great flood.
 There have been numerous flood stories identified from
ancient sources scattered around the world.
 There are many similarities between the Gilgamesh flood
account and the biblical flood account (Genesis 6—
8), beginning most importantly with God choosing a
righteous man to build an ark because of an impending
great flood. In both accounts, samples from all species of
animals were to be on the ark, and birds were used after the
rains to determine if flood waters had subsided anywhere
to reveal dry land.

8.  When the waters finally receded, the gods regretted
what they’d done and agreed that they would never try
to destroy humankind again. Utnapishtim was
rewarded with eternal life. Men would die, but
humankind would continue.
 When Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, he is empty-handed
but reconciled at last to his mortality. He knows that
he can’t live forever but that humankind will.

10.  "The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh." The Flood of
Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
 "The Sumerian Flood Myth: Epic of Gilgamesh." The Sumerian
Flood Myth: Epic of Gilgamesh. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
 Whitcomb, John C. and Morris, Henry M., The Genesis Flood
Print
 "What Similarities Are There between the Gilgamesh Flood
Account and the Biblical Flood Account?" GotQuestions.org.
N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
 "The Epic of Gilgamesh." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 18
Apr. 2014.
 Damrosch, David. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gateways to World
Literature: The Ancient World through the Early Modern Period.
Vol. 1. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 29-74. Print.