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Gilgamesh: The Flood Tablet

In short: Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh how he survived the flood. As the waters recede, the birds he releases from the boat tell him what has changed around it.

Gilgamesh: The Flood Tablet · Surviving the flood FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 88 Gilgamesh: The Flood Tablet Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh how he survived the flood. Origin Mesopotamian epic tradition; the date refers to the Akkadian clay tablet found at Nineveh. Atlas record 7th century BCE First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Surviving the flood Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 10+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Mesopotamian epic tradition; the date refers to the Akkadian clay tablet found at Nineveh.

In the eleventh tablet of the epic, Gilgamesh listens to someone who lived through the flood. The first two birds Utnapishtim releases return, while the raven stays away. Repeating the same action three times makes the absence of the third bird significant. The clay copy recovered at Nineveh preserves this account told by another voice within Gilgamesh’s journey.

Dated records and sources

  1. 7th century BCE · Nineveh, Iraq
    British Museum · K.3375 · CDLI · Manuscript

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Gilgamesh: The Flood Tablet. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-gilgamesh/