| based
on John C. Gibson's Canaanite Mythology and S. H. Hooke's
Middle Eastern Mythology
Contents:
Linguisticly,
the ancient Semites have been broadly classified into Eastern
and Western groups. The Eastern group is represented most prominently
by Akkadian, the language of the Assyrians and Babylonians,
who inhabited the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys. The Western
group is further broken down into the Southern and Northern
groups. The South Western Semites inhabited Arabia and Ethiopia
while the North Western Semites occupied the Levant - the regions
that used to be Palestine as well as what is now Syria, Israel
and Lebanon, the regions often referred to in the Bible as Canaan.
Recent
archaeological finds indicate that the inhabitants of the
region themselves referred to the land as 'ca-na-na-um'
as early as the mid-third millenium B.C.E. (Aubet p. 9) Variations
on that name in reference to the country and its inhabitants
continue through the first millenium B.C.E. The word appears
to have two etymologies. On one end, represented by the Hebrew
cana'ani the word meant merchant, an occupation for
which the Canaanites were well known. On the other end, as
represented by the Akkadian kinahhu, the word referred
to the red-colored wool which was a key export of the region.
When the Greeks encountered the Canaanites, it may have been
this aspect of the term which they latched onto as they renamed
the Canaanites the Phoenikes or Phoenicians, which may derive
from a word meaning red or purple, and descriptive of the
cloth for which the Greeks too traded. The Romans in turn
transcribed the Greek phoinix to poenus, thus
calling the descendants of the Canaanite emigres to Carthage
'Punic'. However, while both Phoenician and Canaanite refer
to approximately the same culture, archaeologists and historians
commonly refer to the pre-1200 or 1000 B.C.E. Levantines as
Canaanites and their descendants, who left the bronze age
for the iron, as Phoenicians.
It
has been somewhat frustrating that so little outside of the
Bible and less than a handful of secondary and tertiary Greek
sources (Lucian of
Samosata's De Syria Dea (The Syrian Goddess), fragments
of the Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos, and the
writings of Damasacius) remain to describe the beliefs of
the people of the area. Unlike in Mesopotamia, papyrus was
readily available so that most of the records simply deteriorated.
A cross-roads of foreign empires, the region never truly had
the chance to unify under a single native rule; thus scattered
statues and conflicting listings of deities carved in shrines
of the neighboring city-states of Gubla (Byblos), Siduna (Sidon),
and Zaaru (Tyre) were all the primary sources known until
the uncovering of the city of Ugarit in 1928 and
the digs there in the late 1930's. The Canaanite myth cycle
recovered from the city of Ugarit
in what is now Ras Sharma, Syria dates back to at least 1400
B.C.E. in its written form, while the deity lists and statues
from other cities, particularly Gubla date back as far as
the third millenium B.C.E. Gubla, during that time, maintained
a thriving trade with Egypt and was described as the capital
during the third millenium B.C.E. Despite this title, like
Siduna (Sidon), and Zaaru (Tyre), the city and the whole region
was lorded over and colonized by the Egyptians. Between 2300
and 1900 B.C.E., many of the coastal Canaanite cities were
abandoned, sacked by the Amorites, with the inland cities
of Allepo and Mari lost to them completely. The second millenium
B.C.E. saw a resurgence of Canaanite activity and trade, particularly
noticable in Gubla and Ugarit. By the 14th century B.C.E.,
their trade extended from Egypt, to Mesopotamia and to Crete.
All of this was under the patronage and dominance of the 18th
dynasty of Egypt. Zaaru managed to maintain an independent
kingdom, but the rest of the soon fell into unrest, while
Egypt lost power and interest. In 1230, the Israelites began
their invasion and during this time the possibly Achaean "Sea
Peoples" raided much of the Eastern Mediterranean, working
their way from Anatolia to Egypt. They led to the abandonment
of Ugarit in 1200 B.C.E., and in 1180, a group of them established
the country of Philistia, i.e. Palestine, along Canaan's southern
coast.
Over
the next three or four hundred years, the Canaanites gradually
recovered. Now they occupied little more than a chain of cities
along the coast, with rival city-states of Sidon and Tyre
vying for control over larger sections of what the Greeks
began to call Phoenicia. Tyre won out for a time and the unified
state of Tyre-Sidon expanded its trade through the Mediterranean
and was even able to establish colonies as far away as Spain.
The most successful of these colonies was undoubtedly Carthage,
said in the Tyrian annals to have been established in 814
B.C.E. by Pygmailion's sister Ellisa. She was named Dido,
'the wandering one', by the Lybian natives and escaped an
unwelcome marriage to their king by immolating herself, a
story which Virgil also recounts in the Aeneid. Her
dramatic death brought about her deification while the colonists
continued to practice the Canaanite religion, spreading it
under Carthage's auspices while that state expanded during
sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. Carthage outlasted its patron
state as Tyre and Sidon were crushed under Assyrian expansion
beginning during the reign of Sennacherib around 724 B.C.E.
and ending under Nebuchadnezar around 572 B.C.E.
The
Phoenician era saw a shift in Canaanite religion. The larger
pantheon became pushed to the wayside in favor of previously
less important, singular deities who became or, in the case
of Baalat, already were the patron city-gods, born witness
to by ruling priest-kings.
As
mentioned above, different cities had different concepts of
not only which gods were ranked where in the pantheon, but also
of which gods were included and what some of their basic attributes
were. While El or Il, whose name means 'god', is commonly described
as the creator of the earth, the Arameans ranked Hadad before
him. Also, many city gods were named Baal, meaning 'lord'. Baal-Sidon,
the city god of Sidon was thus an entirely different deity than
Baal-Hadad, the storm god. Given the dearth of material from
outside of Ugarit, if other cities or regions are not mentioned
in the entry, the details can be assumed to be particular to
Ugarit.
A.
Primarily beneficent and non-hostile gods:
-
-
El
- (also called Latipan, and possibly Dagon)
He is known as the Father of the gods, 'the father
of mankind', the 'Bull', and 'the creator of creatures'.
He is grey haired and bearded and lives at Mt. Lel. He is a heavy drinker and has gotten extremly
drunk at his banquets.
As
a young god, he went out to the sea and, spying
two ladies, one of whom is presumably Athirat, becomes aroused, roasts a bird and asks the
two to choose between being his daughters or his
wives. They become his wives and in due course they
give birth to Shachar, Shalim, and possibly other gracious gods, who could
be Athirat's seventy children and/or much of the
rest of the pantheon. The new family raises a sanctuary
in the desert and lived there for eight years.
|
 |
He
orders that Yam be given kingship and sets Kothar-and-Khasis to build the new king a throne. The gods
warn that Yam has been shamed and may wreck destruction,
so El ameliorates him by renaming him mddil - 'beloved
of El' and throws a feast for him. El warns though that
this is contingent on his driving out of Baal, who may fight back. Following Yam's demise, he favors
the god Mot.
While
Baal is declared king and judge, he remains a resident
of El and Athirat's palace as El refuses him permission
to build an apropriate mansion, in spite of Shapash. When
Baal-Hadad's monsters assail the handmaidens of Yarikh and Lady Athirat of the Sea, he advises them to give
birth to beasts which will lure Baal-Hadad away on a hunt.
He
favors King Keret, who may be his son, offering him riches upon the death
of his many spouses and eventually promising him the princess
Huray and many children, provided he make the proper sacrifices
and follow his instructions. After Keret takes ill, El
eventually convenes an assembly of the gods in order to
ask one of them to rid Keret of his illness. Eventually,
El dispatches the demoness Sha'taqat who cures Keret.
Anat
brings her complaints of Aqhat before him and threatens to strike him in the head when
he gives his response. He then replies that he knows how
contemptuous she is and won't stand in her way.
-
-
| Athirat
(Asherah, Ashtartian - 'the Lady of the Sea', Elat
- 'the goddess') El's loving consort and
is protective of her seventy children who may also
be known as the gracious gods, to whom she is both
mother and nursemaid. Her sons, unlike Baal initially,
all have godly courts. She frequents the ocean shore.
In the Syrian city of Qatra, she was considered Baal-Hadad's
consort.
While
washing clothing with a female companion by the
sea, she is spied by El, who roasts a bird and invites
the two to choose between being his daughters or
his wives. They choose to become his wives and in
due course give birth to the gracious gods, the
cleavers of the sea, including Shachar and Shalim. The new family builds a sanctuary in the desert
and lives there for eight years.
|
 |
Baal and Anat hope to use her to influence
El on the issue of Baal's palace. Intially suspicious and
fearful of them on behalf of her children, but she warms
up when she see that they have brought gifts. She and Anat
successfully intercede with El on Baal's behalf for permission
for Baal to build a more suitable court.
When
Baal is found dead, she advocates her son Athtar be made king. Her sons, the "'pounders' of the sea",
apparently colluded with Mot and were
smited by Baal with sword and mace upon his return. Baal-Hadad's
creatures devour her handmaidens, so she sends them to
El. El tells them to go into the wilderness and there
birth horned buffalo, which will distract Baal-Hadad.
She
and Anat serve as nursemaids for Keret's son Yassib, but reminds Keret of his pledge of wealth
for Huray, perhaps causing his decline in health because
of its lack of fulfillment. (See also Gwen
Saylor's commentary on ver. 0.3 - Asherah)
Qadshu
- A
Syrian goddess, who has occasionally been tentatively identified
with nude fertility goddess statues. Also spelled Qodesh,
meaning 'holy', and used as an epithet of Athirat. She had
been identified with the Egyptian Qetesh
Qodesh-and-Amrur
'fisherman of Athirat'
- Baal's messenger to Kothar-and-Khasis. He is also Athirat's servant and dredges up provisions to entertain
her guests from the sea with a net. It is interesting to
note that in Dan 4:13(10) similar words appear to refer
to an angel and have been translated as 'holy messenger'
or 'holy sentinel'.
Kothar-and-Khasis
('skillful and clever', also called Chousor
and Heyan Ea)
and identified with Ptah).
He
is the craftsman god and is identified with Memphis.
-
He
is ordered by El to build Yam's throne. He upbraids Yam
for rising against Baal and threatens him with a magic weapon. He gives Baal the
magic weapons Yagrush (Chaser) and Aymur (Driver).
He
crafts Baal's bribe for Athirat, a temple serving set of gold and silver. He build's
Baal's second house and insists over Baal's objections
on including a window.
He
constructs a bow and arrows set for Aqhat, presenting them first to Daniel and staying for a feast.
Shachar
'Dawn'
- Shalim's twin twin and one of the first, if not only, pair
of gracious gods, the children and cleavers of the sea.
They were born of El and Athirat or her female companion. The new family builds a
sanctuary in the desert and lives there for eight years.
According to Isaiah 14:12,
he is the father of Helel or Lucifer, the 'light-bringer',
usually taken to mean the morning-star.
Shalim
'Sunset/Dusk'
- Shachar's twin and one of the first, if not only, pair of
gracious gods, the children and cleavers of the sea. They
were born of El and Athirat or her female companion. The new family builds a
sanctuary in the desert and lives there for eight years.
Shamu
(Baalshamem?)
Not
found in the Ugarit texts, this sky god was the chief
of the pantheon at the Syrian city of Alalakh.
Baal
(also called Baal-Zephon(Saphon), Hadad, Pidar and Rapiu
(Rapha?) - 'the shade')
The
son of El, the god of fertility, 'rider of the clouds', and god
of lightning and thunder. He is 'the Prince, the lord
of earth', 'the mightiest of warriors', 'lord of the sky
and the earth' (Alalakh). He has a palace on Mt.
Zephon. He has a feud with Yam. His voice is thunder, his ship is a snow bearing
cloud. He is known as Rapiu during his summer stay in
the underworld.
He
upbraids the gods for their cowardice when they intend
to hand him over to Yam's messengers and attacks them
but is restrained by Athtart and Anat. Kothar-and-Khasis gives him the magic weapons Yagrush
(Chaser) and Aymur (Driver). He strikes Yam in chest and
in the forehead, knocking him out. Athtart rebukes Baal
and calls on him to 'scatter' his captive, which he does.
In a alternate version of this episode, he slays Lotan
(Leviathan), the seven-headed dragon. The battle may have
been representative of rough winter sea-storms which calmed
in the spring and which were preceded and accompanied
by autumn rains which ended summer droughts and enabled
crops to grow.
After
his victory he holds a feast and remarks on his lack of
a proper palace, instead retaining residence with El and
Athirat. He sends messengers to Anat to ask her to
perform a peace-offering that he might tell her the word
which is the power of lightning and seek lightning on
the holy Mt Zephon. She does so and he welcomes her. Hearing
his complaints Anat leaves to petition El for a new palace
for Baal. Rejected, Baal dispatches Qodesh-and-Amrur to Kothar-and-Khasis with a request
to make a silver temple set with which to bribe Athirat.
He and Anat view Athirat with trepidation keeping in mind
past insults which he has suffered at the hands of the
other gods. He and Anat ask Athirat to ask El for permission
to build a more extravagant house and Athirat's request
is granted. Gathering cedar, gold, silver, gems, and lapis
at Mt. Zephon, he calls Kothar-and-Khasis, feeding him
and instructing him on how to build the palace. He doesn't
want a window, for fear of Yam breaking through or his
daughters escaping, but Kothar-and-Khasis convinces him
to allow its inclusion so that he might lightning, thunder,
and rain through it.
At
its completion he holds a feast, takes over scores of
towns and allows the window to be built. He threatens
to ask Mot to invite any of Baal's remaining enemies to come
for a visit and at night, binds the lightning, snow and
rains. He sends Gupn and Ugar to Mot to invite him to acknowledge his sovereignty
at his new palace. He sends messengers to Mot to carry
this message to him and they return with a message of
such weight that Baal declares himself Mot's slave. He
hopes to ameliorate Mot by having Sheger and Ithm supply live sheep and cattle for the god to feast
upon. Fearing Mot he seeks Shapshu's advice and sires a substitute on a cow.
He (or possibly his substitute) dies and remains in the
underworld for seven years. El dreams that he is alive
again but he is absent. Ashtar attempts to take Baal's place, but can not.
Shapshu searches for him. Baal returns and fights Mot's
allies, the sons of Athirat and the yellow ones. After
seven years, Mot returns, demanding one of Baal's brothers
lest he consume mankind. Baal rebuffs him and they fight
tooth and nail. Shapshu separates the two declaring that
Baal has El's favor and Baal resumes his throne.
As
Baal-Hadad, he sends monstrous creatures to attack the
handmaidens of Yarikh, and of Athirat of the Sea. He hunts the horned, buffalo-humped
creatures which were birthed by the handmaidens at the
advice of El. During the hunt he is stuck in a bog for
seven years and things fall to pot. His kin recover him
and there is much rejoicing.
Once
when he was out hunting, Anat followed him. He spotted
her, fell in love and copulated with her in the form of
a cow. She gave birth to 'a wild ox' or a 'buffalo', telling
him of the event on Mt. Zephon. This is probably not their
only affair. (See also Theology
100 Online Glossary - Baal, Encyclopedia Mystica -
Baal)
Gapn
(vine)
Baal's page and messenger to both Anat and Mot.
Radmanu
(Pradmanu)
a minor servitor of Baal.
Ugar
(cultivated field?)
Baal's other page and messenger to both Anat and Mot. He is possibly the patron
city-god of Ugarit.
Pidray
'daughter of the mist','daughter of light(ning)'
Baal's daughter. She is sometimes a love interest of Athtar.
Tallay
='she of dew', 'daughter of drizzle'
Baal's daughter.
Arsay
= 'she of the earth', 'daughter of [ample flows]'
Baal's daughter.
Ybrdmy
Baal's daughter.
Athtart
(Athtart-name-of-Baal, Astarte, Ashtoreth, Ashtart)
She
is a consort of Baal,
and lesser goddess of war and the chase. Outside of Ugarit,
many nude goddess statues have been tenuously identified
with her as a goddess of fertility and sex. In Sidon she
merited royal priests and priestesses. There she served
as a goddess of fertility, love, war and sexual vitality
and to that end had sacred prostitutes. She was the Phoenecian
great goddess and was identified with Aphrodite by the
Greeks.
She
restrains Baal when he intends to attack Yam's messengers. She rerebukes Baal for holding Yam captive
and calls on him to 'scatter' Yam, which he does.
Apparently
she, along with Anat, is willing to become Baal's cupbearer once he achieves
a proper palace. (See also Theology
100 Online Glossary - Astarte)
Anat
(Anath, Rahmay - 'the merciful') She
Baal's sister and the daughter of El. Goddess of war, the hunt, and savagery. She is an archer.
Virgin, sister-in-law (progenitor?) of peoples (Li'mites'?).
She and Athirat are nursemaids to the gracious gods.
She
restrains Baal when he intends to attack Yam's messengers.
In missing texts, she killed Yam-Nahar, the dragon, the seven-headed serpent. She also destroyed
Arsh, Atik, Ishat, and Zabib, all enemies of Baal.
She
holds a feast at Baal's palace to celebrate his victory
over Yam. After the guests arrive, she departs her abode
and adorns herself in rouge and henna, closes the doors
and slaughters the inhabitant of two nearby towns, possibly
Baal's enemies. She makes a belt of their heads and hands
and wades through the blood. She lures the towns' warriors
inside to sit and joyfully massacres them. She then makes
a ritual peace offering and cleans up. This is possibly
related to a seasonal fertility ritual welcoming the autumn
rains. Anat receives messengers from Baal thinking that
some new foe has arisen, but they assure her that he only
wishes that she make a peace offering that he might tell
her the secret of lightning and seek it on Mt. Zephon. She does so, demanding first to see the lightning,
and is welcomed by Baal from afar. Hearing him complain
of lack of a proper mansion, she storms off to El, creating
tremors. She threatens to mangle his face lest he heed
her and have Baal's court constructed, yet her plea is
rejected. She is assisted in her petition, possibly by
Athtart. She accompanies Baal to Athirat with a bribe and
assists Athirat in her successful petition to El for Baal's
court.
After
Baal dies, she searches for him and, finding his body
goes into a violent fit of mourning. She has Shapash take
his body to Mt. Zephon, where she buries it and holds
a feast in his honor. After seven years of drought, she
finds Mot, and cuts, winnows, and sows him like corn.
She
attends the feast where Daniel presents Aqhat with a bow and arrows set made by Kothar-and-Khasis. Desiring the bow, she offers Aqhat riches
and immortality, for it. He refuses and so she promises
vengeance upon him should he transgress and leaves for
Mt. Lel to denounce him to El. Upset with El's response, she
threatens to strike his head, sarcasticly suggesting that
Aqhat might save him. El remarks that he won't hinder
her revenge, so she finds Aqhat, and taking the form of
a kinswoman, lures him off to Qart-Abilim. Unsuccessful
with her first attempt there, she calls her attendant
warrior Yatpan to take the form of an eagle, and with a flock of
similar birds pray strike Aqhat as he sits on the mountain.
They do so and Aqhat is slain, unfortunately, the bow
falls into the waters and is lost and Anat laments that
her actions and Aqhat's death were in vain.
When
Baal was out hunting, she followed after him and copulated
with him in the form of a cow. She gave birth to 'a wild
ox' or a 'buffalo', visiting Mt. Zephon to tell Baal of
the good news. This is probably not their only affair.
Baalat
The 'mistress' of Gubla she was not found in Ugarit. This
great fertility goddess was the foremost deity of that city.
She served as protector of the city and of the royal dynasty.
She was associated with Baal-Shamen and she assimilated
the characteristics of the Egyptian goddesses Hathor
and Ast (Isis).
Tanit
Known
as the 'lady of Carthage' and the 'face of Baal', Tanit
was the great goddess of the Carthaginians and, with Baal
Hammon co-protector of that city. She is listed first of
all deities in Carthage.
Shapshu
(Shapash)
She
is the sun-goddess (Akkadian Shamash, a male deity) and
is known as the torch of the gods and pale Shapshu. She
often acts as messenger or representative on El's behalf. She has some dominion over the shades and ghosts
of the nether-world. Kothar-and-Khasis may be her companion and protector.
She
tells Athtar that he will loose kingship to Yam under El's auspice and rebuffs his complaints by recalling
his lack of wife and children.
She
is said to be under Mot's influence when Baal is preoccupied with his lack of a palace and not raining.
The weather then is particularly hot.
When
Mot's messenger seeks Baal, she advises the thunder-god
to procure a substitute, to satisfy Mot and then take
his servants and daughters and venture into the underworld.
At the direction of Anat, she carries Baal's body back to Mt. Zephon. She is told by El that he dreamed Baal was alive
and she searches for him. When Baal returns and fights
with Mot, she separates them, declaring that Baal has
El's favor.
Yarikh
He
is the moon god. 'The illuminator of myriads (of stars)',
'lamp of heaven', possibly also the crescent moon and
'lord of the sickle' and thereby the father of the Kotharat. He is patron of the city Qart-Abilim.
-
After
sunset he embraces Nikkal-and-Ib and becomes determined to marry her. He seeks
Khirkhib out to arbitrate the brideprice, but instead Khirkhib
tries suggests other potential mates in the daughters
of Baal. Undaunted, Yarikh presents a lavish brideprice
to Nikkal-and-Ib's family and the two are wed.
Baal-Hadad's creatures devour his handmaidens, so he sends
them to El. El tells them to go into the wilderness and there birth horned
buffalo, which will distract Baal-Hadad.
Kotharat
(was thought to be Kathirat) 'skillful'
- They
are a group of goddesses associated with conception and
childbirth. '...The swallow-like daughters of the crescent
moon.' (Gibson p. 106). They are also associated with the
new moon. They attend Daniel for seven days to aid in the conception of Aqhat and receive his sacrifice.
Athtar
(Ashtar, 'Athtar, Atra of the sky) 'the terrible'
- He
is a son of Athirat, possibly a god of the desert or of artificial irrigation.
He is sometimes a suitor of Pidray. As the great god of the Sabeans and Himyar (both
South Arabian states), he was identified with Venus and
was sired by the moon on the sun. He looses his kingship
to Yam at the behest of El and is warned off from an attack on Yam by Shapshu. He complains to her of his lack of status, palace
and court.
He
attempts to take Baal's place at his throne while Baal
is dead, but he is too small for the seat and rejects
it, becoming king of the earth instead.
-
Sheger
('offspring of cattle')
- He
is the god of cattle
Ithm
- He
is the god of sheep
Hirgab
- He
is the father of the eagles.
S,umul
- She
is the mother of the eagles. She ate the body of Aqhat.
Elsh
- He
is the steward (carpenter?) of El and of Baal's house. His wife is the stewardess (carpenter?) of the
goddesses.
Sha'taqat
'drives away'
- She
is the flying demoness who drives away Keret's disease on behalf of El with a touch of her wand to his head.
'god(s)
of the fathers'
- They
are ancestral or clan deities, commonly associated with
one family or another, outside of the main pantheon.
Nikkal-and-Ib
'great lady and clear/bright/fruit' or 'Great goddess of
fruit' (Ningal)
- She
is possibly the daughter of Dagon of Tuttul, or else of Khirkhib. She is romanced by Yarikh and marries him after Yarikh arranges a brideprice
with Khirkhib and pays it to her parents.
Khirkhib
(was thought to be Hiribi), king of summer, king of the
raiding season (autumn)
- He
is probably a Hurrian deity. He acts as a matchmaker between
Yarikh and Nikkal-and-Ib, initially trying to dissuade Yarikh from pursuing
her suggesting Pidray and Ybrdmy as alternative choices.
Dagon
of Tuttul
- He
is a Syrian version of Dagon, and the probable father of
Nikkal-and-Ib. Ugarit's Dagon was the father of Baal and
may have been identified with El. There were also temples
to Dagon in Mari and Emar. To the Phoenicians, he was a
god of wheat and the inventor of the plow. The Philistines
adopted him as their own and depicted him with the upper
torso of a man and the back half of a fish. (See also the
Assyro-Babylonian Dagan
and the Hittite Kumarbi)
Baal-Shamen
(Baal-Shamain) 'lord of the skies'
- Lord
of the Assembly of the gods at Gubla. He was the great god
of the Aramaean kingdoms of Hama and Laash and the protector
of their rulers.
Milqart
(Melqart, Baal Tsur, Milkashtart?) - 'king of the city',
the hunter, 'fire of heaven'.
- Patron
god of Tyre, he was the god of the Metropolis and of the
monarchy at Tyre and Carthage. His cult spread throughout
the Mediterranean region, but has not been found at second
millenium sites. As with the Babylonian Nergal/Erra, he
has been identified with Heracles archetypes. Greek sources
imply that he was a dying and rising vegetation god, and
that he was associated with the sacred marriage like the
Sumerian god, Dumuzi. He was ritually immolated in an annual
festival. He was also a god of the sea and was pictured
mounted on a hippocampus.
Eshmun
'the holy prince'
- He
was a god of healing and the great god in Sidon. He was
known in Tyre, Cyprus, and Carthage, but not in Ugarit.
In the 5th century AD, Damascius identified him with the
Greek god Asclepius.
-
-
Yam
(Nahar, Yaw, Lotan?, Leviathan?)
He
is god of sea and rivers, he dwells in a palace under the
sea. He carries a feud with Baal. He may have had in his following a dragon (tnn) which
lives in the sea, a serpent (btn), and/or Lotan/Leviathan,
or may have been all of those creatures.
He
is given kingship by El. He threatens vast destruction until El names him 'beloved
of El' and sends him on his way to oust Baal. Upbraided
by Kothar-and-Khasis, he dispatches messengers to El to demand
the delivery of Baal. Baal strikes him with Yagrush and
Chaser in the chest and forehead, knocking him down. He
is slain and scattered at the urging of Athtart. The battle may have been representative of rough
winter sea-storms which calmed in the spring and which
were preceded and accompanied by autumn rains which ended
summer droughts and enabled crops to grow.
Arsh
- The
'darling of the gods', a monstrous attendant of Yam, slain by Anat. Arsh lives in the sea.
Atik
- The
'calf of El', an enemy of Baal. Slain by Anat.
Ishat
(fire)
- The
'bitch of the gods', an enemy of Baal, slain by Anat.
Zabib
(flame? flies?)
- The
daughter of El, an enemy of Baal, slain by Anat.
Mot(-and-Shar)
'Death and Prince/Dissolution/Evil'
- 'the
beloved one'- Mot is the god of sterility, death, and the
underworld. In one hand he holds the scepter of bereavement,
and in the other the scepter of widowhood. His jaws and
throat are described in cosmic proportions and serve as
a euphemism for death.
When
he has influence over Shapshu, it is unusually hot and dry. He sits on a pit for
a throne in the city of Miry in the underworld.
Prior
to the conception of the gracious gods, he is pruned and
felled like a vine by the vine dressers.
He
is favored by El following Baal's defeat ofYam and Baal refuses him tribute. When Baal's messengers deliver
him an invitation to feast at Baal's new palace, he is
insulted that he is offered bread and wine and not the
flesh he hungers for. In fact, he threatens to defeat
Baal as Baal did Leviathan, causing the sky to wilt and
then eat Baal himself. Baal would then visit his
palace in the underworld. He is pleased that Baal submits
to him. Baal goes to the underworld and either he or his
substitute is eaten by Mot. Presumably the sons of Athirat had some part in his death. After seven years of
famine, Anat seizes Mot, splits, winnows, sows and grinds him like
corn. Baal eventually returns and defeats Mot's allies.
After seven years Mot returns and demands Baal's brother,
lest he wipe out humanity. Baal rebuffs him and the two
have a mighty battle, but are separated by Shapshu who
declares Baal to have El's favor.
'The
yellow ones of Mot'
- Mot's henchmen who are slain by Baal upon his return.
Horon
- He
is probably a cthonic deity.
Resheph
- 'prince
Resheph' is the god of pestilence.
aklm
- 'the devourers'
- These
are some creatures who fought Baal-Hadad in the desert, they remind some of grasshoppers.
Rephaim
(Rpum) - 'shades'
- These
are deities of the underworld whom Daniel meets in his journey there. They may have been involved
in negotiations with him for the return of his son Aqhat. Eight of them led by Repu-Baal (Rapiu? Baal?) arrive at a feast given by El in chariots, on horseback, and on wild asses.
Molech
(Melech, Malik, Milcom?, Milqart?)
- Not
explicitly found in the Ugarit texts, Molech is a bit of
an enigma. He shows up in the Old Testament in Leviticus
18 and 20, 1 Kings 11, 2 Kings 23, and Jeremiah 32. From
that he appears to be a god of the Ammonites - a region
west of the Jordon - whose worshipers sacrificed children
in fires at temples, some of which were in the Valley of
Hinnom, i.e. Gehenna, just south of Jerusalem. The Old Testament
also names the similarly spelt "Milcom" as a god of the
Ammonites leading to the suspicion that they are the same
god. Molech is probably not the original name of the deity.
There has been a good deal of argument as to whether Molech
could be identified with another foreign deity and which
deity that would be, or whether molech was simply
a term which referred to child sacrifice of any sort. The
Canaanite gods Mot and Milqart of Tyre, and the Mesopotamian god Nergal,
whom I believe is somewhere referred to as Malik=king, are
a couple of the prime candidates for being Molech. For some
online commentary on this check out Gwen
Saylor's correspondence [extract below].
Baal
- Often El's enemy. The god's true name was known only
to the initiated. Baal was a sun god, and as such was
associated with the Morning Star, his mother and consort
(and sister) Ashtart (Encylopaedia Britannica). The
Baalim (plural of Baal) were gods possessing the power
to control nature, such as fertility and harvest (The
Encyclopedia of the Bible). Baal is said to have had
a secret name (Larousse). Worshipped as Baal Hammon
at Carthage with a consort, Tanit(h). Encyclopaedia
Britannica translates "Baal Hammon" as "the Glowing
Baal." Also worshipped as Baal Tsaphon, "Baal of the
North;" Baal Shamim, "Baal of the Skies;" etc., etc.
Various Semitic towns still have a "Baal" at the beginning
of their names, which usually indicates they once had
Baal worship. The Jews still use "Baal" as a title of
respect for esteemed men. Also worshipped as Hadad (in
Canaan), Eshmun (by the Sidonians), Ishkur (in Akkad
and by the Hittites), the number X (by the Hittites),
Baal Hadad, Adad, Teshub, or Teshup (by the Hurrians),
Sutekh (by the Hyksos), Hadad-Rimmon (and either one
or the other in Aram and Damascus), and Ramman (in Akkad).
Also spelled Ba`al, Beel, Be`el, Ball (Mercatante).
-
For more in depth off-line discussion see:
-
Day,
John, Molech:A God of Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament,
Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989.
-
-
Keret
Keret
was a king (of Khubur?) and possibly the son of El (this may be an expression for a fortunate person) who lost
his estate and his successive eight wives to death, disease,
and accident before any one of them could produce an heir.
Having fallen asleep in tears, he is visited by El in a
dream and offered kingship and riches to assuage his sorrow.
This is ineffective as Keret only desires sons and heirs.
El directs him to make an animal and wine sacrifice to El
and Baal on the tower and then muster an army to lay siege to the
city of Udm. There, Keret is to refuse offers from the Udm's
king Pabil and demand his daughter, the fair Huray. Keret
does as instructed, vowing to himself to give Huray an enormous
sum of wealth upon his success.
Returning
to his estate with Huray, Keret is blessed by El at Baal's
behest and is promised eight sons, the first of which,
Yassib, shall have Athirat and Anat as nursemaids. In addition, Huray will bear eight daughters
all of whom as blessed as a first-born child. Athirat
calls attention to Keret's promise of wealth to Huray
which he has yet to fulfill.
Later,
Keret and Huray prepare a great feast for the lords of
Khubur. Later still Keret has become deathly ill and Huray
entreats guests at a feast to morn for him and make sacrifices
on his behalf.
The
household is tense and Keret's son Elhu, despondently
visits his father. Keret tells him not to sorrow, but
to send for his sympathetic sister, Keret's daughter Thitmanat
('the eighth one'). Her sympathy, heighted Keret expects
from her surprise at his state will evoke the attention
of the gods during a sacrifice he intends to perform.
Indeed she weeps readily when the truth is revealed. Meanwhile,
the rains have ceased with Keret's illness, but return
after a ceremony on Mt. Zephon. El convenes an assembly of the gods and dispatches
the demoness Sha'taqat who cures Keret. Keret's son and heir Yassib,
unaware of his father's cure entreats him to surrender
his throne as he has been remiss in his duties, but Yassib
is rebuffed and cursed.
Daniel
- 'He
of Harnan', a devotee of Rapiu (Baal) and a patriarchal king. Like Keret, Daniel is in mourning
because unlike his brothers he had no sons. So, for several
days he sacrificed food and drink to the gods. On the seventh
day, Baal takes notice and successfully petitions El to allow Daniel and his wife, Danatay, to have a child, citing,
among other reasons, that the child will be able to continue
the contributions and sacrifices to their temples. El informs
Daniel of his impending change of fortune. He rejoices and
slaughters an ox for the Kotharat, pouring sacrifices to them for six days and watching
them depart on the seventh. During some missing columns,
Danatay gives birth to Aqhat. Later, Kothar-and-Khasis arrives with a specially crafted bow and
arrows set for Aqhat. Daniel and Danatay hold a feast, inviting
the god, and Daniel presents Aqhat with the bow reminding
him to sacrifice the choices game to the gods. When Aqhat
is slain, Daniel's daughter Pughat notices the eagles and the drought and becomes upset.
Daniel prays that Baal might return the rains and travels
among the fields coaxing the few living plants to grow and
wishing that Aqhat were there to help harvest them. Pughat
informs him of Aqhat's demise. Daniel then swears vengeance
upon his son's slayer. In succession he spies some eagles,
Hirgab, and Sumul. He calls upon Baal to break their wings and breast-bones,
then he searches their insides for Aqhat's remains. Initially
not finding them, he asks Baal to restore the eagles and
Hirgab. Finding Aqhat's remains within Sumul, he buries
him and calls upon Baal to break the bones of any eagle
that my disturb them and curses the lands near which his
son was slain. His court goes into mourning for seven years,
at which time Daniel dismisses the mourners and burns incense
in sacrifice to the gods. Pughat prays to the gods to bless
her in her venture and disguises herself as Anat, intending to wreck vengeance upon those who slew Aqhat.
Aqhat
- The
much anticipated child of Daniel and Danatay, Aqhat is presented with a bow and arrows
set made by Kothar-and-Khasis early in his life by his father at a feast.
Daniel reminds him to take the best of his kills to the
temple for the gods. At the feast Anat offers Aqhat riches and eternal life if he would give
her the bow. When he refuses, she promises to deliver vengeance
upon him should he ever transgress. Presumably he fails
to offer his best kills to the gods. Later he follows a
disguised Anat to Qart-Abilim but presumably thwarts her
new scheme to acquire his bow and lives there for a time,
possibly under the favor of Yarikh. He is left on a mountain
and while sitting for a meal is attacked by Anat's attendant
Yatpan in the form of an eagle, along with other birds of
prey, and is slain. Following his death, the land is poisoned
and there is a period of famine and drought. Daniel recovers
his son's remains from the eagle S,umul.
Later,
Daniel visits the underworld, probably in hopes of recovering
Aqhat, and there encounters the Rephaim.
Pughat
- She
is one of Daniel and Danatay's daughters. When Aqhat is slain, She notices the eagles and the drought and
becomes upset. Daniel prays that Baal might return the rains and travels among the fields coaxing
the few living plants to grow and wishing that Aqhat were
there to help harvest them. Pughat encounters Aqhat's servants
and learns of his demise. After seven years of Daniel's
court mourning, Daniel dismisses the mourners and burns
incense in sacrifice to the gods. Pughat prays to the gods
to bless her in her venture and disguises herself as Anat, intending to wreck vengeance upon those who slew Aqhat.
She arrives and meets Yatpan, accepting his wine, and the
rest is missing.
Men
in general
- from
a side note (Gibson p. 68) men are considered made of 'clay'.
Little
is certain about the cosmology of the Canaanites. While the
Ugaritic texts tell us of El, Athirat, and Rahmay's creation
of the gracious gods, for the creation of the universe we
must rely on the Greek sources of Philo of Byblos, Athenaeus,
and Damascius, which are thoroughly drenched in Greek cosmology.
In general they relate that from gods like chaos, ether, air,
wind and desire was produced the egg Mot, which was probably
not the same Mot as found in Ugarit. The egg was populated
with creatures who remained motionless until it was opened,
whence the sky and heavenly bodies were formed. Later the
waters were separated from the sky, and gods of El's generation
were formed. Additional hints about the divine geography gathered
from the Ugarit texts are included below:
- Mt.
Lel
There the assembly of the gods meet. It is El's abode and the source of the rivers and two oceans, as well
as where those waters meet those of the firmament. It lies
'two layers beneath the wells of the earth, three spans
beneath its marshes.' It had been thought to be a field
and not a mountain. The mansion there has eight entrances
and seven chambers.
hmry
'Miry'
- Mot's city in the underworld, "where a pit is the throne on
which he sits, filth the land of his heritage." (Gibson
p. 66)
the
underworld
- 'the
place of freedom'. The Aramaeans believed that the souls
of the blessed dead ate with Baal-Hadad.
Targhizizi
and Tharumagi
- These
are the twin mountains which hold the firmament up above
the earth-circling ocean, thereby bounding the earth. The
entrance to the underworld and Shapshu's 'grave'. It is entered by lifting up a rock to
a wooded height. The entrance is bounded by a river-shore
land of pasture and fields known ironicly as "Pleasure"
or "Delight".
Ughar
or Inbab
- This
is the location of Anat's mansion.
Mt.
Zephon
- Either
the mountain is deified and holy, godlike in proportion,
or El has a pavilion there. It has recesses within which Baal holds his feast. Baal had his first house of cedar and
brick there, as well as his second house of gold, silver,
and lapis-lazuli.
-
Aubet,
Maria E., The Phoenicians and the West, Cambridge
University Press, New York, 1987, 1993.
S. H.
Hooke Middle Eastern Mythology , Penguin Books, New
York, 1963.
John
C. L. Gibson Canaanite Myths and Legends, T &
T Clark Ltd., Edinburgh, 1977.
Moscoty,
Sabatino, The World of the Phoenicians, Frederick
A. Praeger, Publishers, New York, 1968.
Ancient
Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, ed.
James Pritchard, Princeton University Press, Princeton,
1955.
Szneycer,
Maurice articles in Mythologies Volume One compiled
by Bonnefoy, Yves, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago,
1991.
Sykes,
Edgerton Who's Who in Non-Classical Mythology, Oxford
University Press, New York, 1993.
I've
been corresponding with Gwen Saylor about this FAQ and other
matters and she has been kind enough to allow me to reproduce
her commentary on version 0.3. The first section of the e-letter
is part of our discussion about Helel,
and the commentary on this FAQ begins with the line "Second
Topic -- Phoenician FAQ --".
M. Coogan
Stories From Ancient Canaan
Day,
John, Molech:A God of Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament,
Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989.
C.H.
Gordon Ugaritic Literature, Rome, 1949.
Hall,
H. R., The Ancient History of the Near East, Methuan
& Co. Ltd, London, 1950.
The
Ancient Near East: Supplementary Texts and Pictures Relating
to the Old Testament, ed. James Pritchard, Princeton
University Press, Princeton, 1969.
Visit the Sumerian
Mythology FAQ?
Visit the Assyro-Babylonian
Mythology FAQ?
Visit the Hittite
Mythology REF?
By Christopher B. Siren cbsiren@hopper.unh.edu |
