Utnapishtim
|
|
A wise king of Shurrupak, appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh as one of the two human survivors, who along with his wife and with 'the seed of all living creatures' survived a great flood sent by Enlil to kill everything on Earth. The Flood episode occurs in the eleventh table of the Gilgamesh epic. Utnapishtim was secretly warned by the water god Ea of Enlil's plan, and constructed a boat to save himself and representatives of each species of animal.
When the flood waters subsided, the boat was grounded on the mountain of Nisir. When Utnapishtim's ark had been becalmed for seven days, he released a dove, who found no resting place and returned. A swallow was then released who found no perch, but the raven which was released third did not return. Utnapishtim made a sacrifice and poured out a libation on the top of mount Nisir.
Utnapishtim and his wife were granted immortality after the flood. Afterwards he is taken by the gods to live for ever at 'the mouth of the rivers' and given the epithet 'Faraway.' .