The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities with the Bible, especially in Genesis and it is not just that both begin with the letter “g”! A major similarity lies in the story of the flood told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of snakes in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity is the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the characters in the stories. Within these similarities, there are also differences that should also be highlighted. The story of the flood told in the Epic of Gilgamesh has the same premise as the story of Noah told in the book of Genesis in the Bible, but there are some major differences. In the epic, Utnapishtim is immortal, and although Noah was extremely old when he died, he was not immortal. Utnapishtim was a human, but because he saved humanity, Enlil said: “Until now Utnapishtim was a human, now Utnapishtim and his wife will become gods like us. » (Gilgamesh 11.206-207) In the biblical story, God told Noah that he was going to send a flood and specifically asked him to make the ark in order to save humanity. In Genesis 6:13-22, God tells Noah why he is flooding the earth and gives him specific instructions for building the ark. “13 Then God said to Noah, “I will put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I will surely destroy them and the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you will build it: the ark will be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.[b] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving an opening of one cubit under the roof. [c] high. all around...... middle of paper ...... Meaning of The Epic of Gilgamesh: An Interpretive Essay. " Journal of the American Oriental Society 121.4 (2001): 614-23. Web. February 19, 2014. Gilgamesh, The Epic of. A. The Norton Anthology of World Literature Ed Martin Puchner, et al. New York: WW Norton and Company, 2012. 95-150 [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com Web March 2011. Ziolkowski, Eric “Old Newcomer in World Literature Today. 81.5 (2007) : 55-57.. 2014. .