Vaivasvata Manu

In Hindu mythology, Vaivasvata Manu (also Manu Vaivasvate) is one of the 14 Manus. He is considered the progenitor of the current Manvantara, which is the 7th of the 14 that make up the current Kalpa, each Kalpa making of a day of Brahma.

He was born to Saranya and Vivasvat. Vaivasvata Manu once caught a talking fish who begged him to rescue it. The fish claimed a Great Flood was coming and it would wash away all living things. Manu put the fish in a pot, and then, as it grew larger, into a tank, a lake and then the ocean. While in the ocean, the fish told Manu to build a boat. He did so and when the flood arrived, the fish (actually Matsya) towed the ship by a cable to attached to his horn.

See also: Manusmriti