In mythology, what flood narrative is often compared to the story of Noah’s Ark?

The flood narrative most commonly compared to the story of Noah's Ark is found in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In this ancient Mesopotamian text, there is a character named Utnapishtim who is warned by the god Ea about an impending flood that will destroy humanity. Following the warning, Utnapishtim builds a large boat to save himself, his family, and various species of animals, similar to the account in the Bible where Noah is instructed by God to build an ark for the same purpose.

The themes of divine judgment, preservation of life through a chosen individual, and the subsequent renewal of the earth after the flood resonate strongly in both narratives, showcasing a common mythological motif across cultures regarding the relationship between gods, humanity, and nature. While the other options—Hesiod’s Works and Days, Metamorphoses, and The Aeneid—do have their own stories and themes, they do not feature a flood narrative that parallels the specifics of the Noah's Ark story found in the Bible as closely as the one from the Epic of Gilgamesh does.