Canaanite Gods | Middle East And North Africa

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GODS AND GODDESSES OF CANAAN

smiting weather god or warrior with horned helmet

Ira Spar of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wrote: “Ugaritic mythological tablets describe the activities of the main gods and goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon. Although there existed no single state theology, the major gods reflect local geographical concerns about the fertility of the earth and the importance of water as well as relationships to the sky and the underworld. The universe was believed to be ruled in tandem by the older god El and a main warrior-god, Baal, surrounded by a council of deities and a lower level of attendant gods. The divine council included the older generation of the god El and his wife Athirat, known in the Bible as Asherah, as well as a younger group of figures that included the war god Baal and the war goddesses Anat and Astarte. Forces of destruction included Yamm, the god of the sea (also known as Nahar, the River), and Mot, the god of death as well as burning (Resheph) and pestilence (Deber), a god described in the Bible (Habbakkuk 3). In total, more than 234 deities are recorded in Ugaritic texts and these gods, unlike humans, were thought to have eternal lives. [Source:Ira Spar, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art metmuseum.org, April 2009. \^/]

The god El was viewed as the elder, "gray beard" supreme deity. He was the creator god, the father of the gods and humankind, and the god of wisdom. He was considered a good-natured, beneficent being. Although described as a creator, there exists no biblical-type creation story in Ugaritic literature. El's dwelling place is at the edge of the world at the "source of the two rivers," a place where the waters of the heavens and earth meet.

El is often associated with the epithet "bull," indicating strength and possibly dignity. No temple is dedicated to his cult and his image cannot be clearly identified among excavated reliefs and statues. Small, heavily robed human figures seated on high-backed chairs and wearing either caplike headdresses or tall conical crowns have often been identified as El. Recent archaeological finds indicate that this image may represent either a presently unidentified god or a deified king.

In a land dependent upon life-sustaining rain, Baal was both a warrior god and the storm god who brought fertility. Baal was enthroned on Mount Zaphon, identified with Jebel el-Aqra, the highest mountain in Syria located 25–30 miles north of Ugarit. An active, powerful deity, Baal is depicted on a white limestone stele, 1.42 meters tall, now in the Louvre. Dominating the stele, the god Baal is pictured in profile with his right foot placed in front of his left. He wears a horned helmet emblematic of power and strength. In a classic Egyptian smiting pose, his right arm is raised above his head with a mace in his hand as if he were about to strike an enemy. In his left hand, he holds and firmly plants into the ground a large spear with a vegetal form emerging from the top of the weapon. The spear is symbolic of the deity's control over the powers of nature. Below the ground, undulating lines represent the sea, Baal's enemy. A small figure representing the king dressed in priest's clothing stands on a pedestal. The figure and its pedestal rest just below the god's sheathed dagger, which is suspended from his belt. The stele illustrates the Canaanite concept of divine kingship whereby the warrior-god protects humanity against the destructive forces of nature.

Excavated at Ugarit, the tale of Baal's conquest of the sea is described in an epic cycle of six tablets. After a rather obscure opening, the god Yamm (the Sea) sends a message to the divine assembly demanding that Baal surrender. El, the aging chief deity, agrees to the request. He demands that Baal surrender to Yamm's messengers. But Baal resists. With the encouragement and assistance of Kothar wa-Hasis, the craftsman god, Baal engages the Sea in battle. He pummels Yamm with his mace and defeats him.

Following the victory, Anat, El's daughter who is also called Baal's sister, goes on a rampage and slaughters human enemies presumably allied against Baal. Afterward, Baal pursues the construction of a magnificent royal palace on his sacred mountain. The craftsman Kothar-wa-Hasis suggests that the palace have windows, but Baal disagrees so that Yamm/Nahar not enter stealthily. Cedars are brought from Lebanon together with silver, gold, and precious stones to adorn the palace. When the building is finished, all the deities celebrate with a great feast. Afterward, Baal defeats all of his enemies in surrounding territories in order to form an empire for himself. Now flush with victory, Baal sends a courier to Mot, son of El and ruler of the Underworld, to declare his kingship. But Mot in his reply turns the tables on his adversary and invites him to come to the Underworld. When Baal accepts and descends, he becomes trapped in the vise of death, which results in the cessation of rain. Anat, Baal's sister and the goddess of hunting and war, goes in search of him. Finding him in the realm of the dead, she confronts Mot, attacks him with a knife and winnowing fork, and burns his body, which is then eaten by birds. Now rescued, Baal resumes his place on the royal throne. But Mot revives and the two giants of the heavens battle. Finally, Mot capitulates and declares Baal to be the rightful ruler of the cosmos.

The myth, by recounting the conquest of Baal over his cosmic enemies, both celebrates the institution of divine human kinship and explains that rule by a warrior king is necessary to bring order to both earth and the heavenly abode. It also provides a mythological explanation for the change of seasons from harvest to winter, a time when Baal descends into the Underworld and fertility ceases.

Canaanite God Hierarchy and Mythology

Canaanite goddess
Anat
Larue wrote in “Old Testament Life and Literature”: “The texts portray a divine hierarchy headed by the benign father-god El, a rather subordinate figure in some of the myths, and the mother goddess, Astarte, who appears in the Bible as Ba'al's consort. The numerous children include: Ba'al, the god of rain or weather and fecundity; Yam, the sea god; Mot, god of death; Koshar or Kothar, the artisan god; Shemesh, the sun god; Anat, the sister-consort of Ba'al; and numerous other minor figures. [Source: Gerald A. Larue, “Old Testament Life and Literature,” 1968, infidels.org ]

“One myth reflects the seasonal cycle which must have been basic for cultic observances. It tells of a battle for sovereignty of the land between Ba'al and Yam, in which Yam, defeated by magic weapons supplied by Kothar, is confined to the ocean bed. (Compare Prov. 8:29; Ps. 89:9 f.) The triumphant Ba'al builds a castle and, in a victory feast, extols his prowess in battle and his role of lord of the land. During the banquet, messengers from the uninvited Mot bring a challenge to Ba'al, and when Ba'al and Mot meet, the god of life is overcome by the god of death. Without rain Mot's deathly powers begin to encroach upon the fertile land. El descends from his throne and sits on the ground pouring ashes on his head and, in a ritual act, gashes his face, arms, chest and back (cf. I Kings 18:28). Anat too, conducts mourning rites, weeping over hill and mountain as she searches for the dead god. Finally, having discovered Ba'al's fate through the sun god, Anat encounters and defeats Mot, grinding him and scattering his remains. In some manner not explained, Ba'al was revived and life returned to earth.

“For the seasonal pattern of the ritual, Ba'al's death symbolized the aridity of summer; the defeat of Mot symbolized the time of harvesting crops and fall sowing; and the rebirth of Ba'al symbolized the coming of the autumnal rains. Numerous "stage directions" point to some form of dramatic enactments.2 Within this and other myths, gods perform sexual and cultic acts prohibited in the Hebrew religion, suggesting that some biblical prohibitions may have been directed against participation in Canaanite religion as much as against some violation of accepted mores.”

Ba’al: the Main Canaanite God

Larue wrote: “A limestone stele found at Ras es-Shamra portrays Ba'al wearing a conical headdress with horns, a short kilt, and a sword strapped to his side. His upraised right arm is poised to hurl a thunderbolt, and his left hand holds a spear of lightning, stylized to represent a tree. He stands above the undulating hills, or perhaps the waves of the ocean. The small figure below the tip of the sword is, perhaps, the donor of the stele. [Source: Gerald A. Larue, “Old Testament Life and Literature,” 1968, infidels.org ]

“As a god of productivity, Ba'al was well suited for the social and economic climate of Canaanite business society. There can be little doubt that the prophetic idealization of the wilderness period and the outcries for justice for the widow and orphan reflect Canaanite social mores which made it possible to seize every opportunity to profit from the death of a neighbor's father or husband. On the other hand, in another Canaanite tale in which a certain Dan'el (or Daniel) is a symbol of those who maintain social order, Dan'el judges the cases of widows and orphans, and this text sets forth the responsibility of a son for his father, so that it should not be assumed that Canaan was without any moral code.”

Cult of Baal in the Bible

Judges 6:25-32: That night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Ba'al which your father has, and cut down the Ashe'rah that is beside it; Then build an altar of the proper pattern to the Lord your God on the top of this earthwork; take the yearling bull and the offer it as a whole-offering with the wood of the sacred pole that you cut down.' So Gibeon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. He was afraid of his father's family and his fellow-citizens and so he did it by night, and not by day. When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Ba'al was broken down, and the Ashe'rah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered upon the altar which had been built. Then the men of the town said to Jo'ash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Ba'al and cut down the Ashe'rah beside it." But Jo'ash said to all who were arrayed against him, "Will you contend for Ba'al? Or will you defend his cause? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been pulled down." Therefore on that day he was called Jerubba'al, that is to say, "Let Ba'al contend against him," because he pulled down his altar. [Source: John R. Abercrombie, Boston University, bu.edu, Dr. John R. Abercrombie, Department of Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania]

Judges 8:33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and played the harlot after the Ba'als, and made Ba'al-be'rith their god.

Baal idolatry

I Kings 18:25-29 Then Eli'jah said to the prophets of Ba'al, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it." And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Ba'al from morning until noon, saying, "O Ba'al, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they danced about the altar which they had made. At midday Elijah mocked them: 'Call louder, for he is a god; it may be he is deep in thought, or engaged, or on a journey; or he may have gone to sleep and must be woken up.' They cried still louder and, as was their custom, gashed themselves with swoards and spears until the blood ran. All afternoon they raved and ranted till the hour of the regular sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no answer, no sign of attention.

I Kings 18:19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Ba'al and the four hundred prophets of Ashe'rah, who eat at Jez'ebel's table." I Kings 19:18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Ba'al, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

II Kings 1:2 Now Ahazi'ah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Sama'ria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, "Go, inquire of Ba'al-ze'bub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness." II Kings 3:2 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, though not like his father and mother, for he put away the pillar of Ba'al which his father had made. II Kings 17:16 And they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves molten images of two calves; and they made an Ashe'rah, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Ba'al.

II Chronicles28:2 but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made molten images for the Ba'als; Psalms 106:28 Then they attached themselves to the Ba'al of Pe'or, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;

Hosea 2:8 And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished upon her silver and gold which they used for Ba'al. Hosea 2:13 And I will punish her for the feast days of the Ba'als when she burned incense to them and decked herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, says the LORD. Hosea 11:2 The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Ba'als, and burning incense to idols.

Jeremiah 11:13 For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to burn incense to Ba'al. Jeremiah 11:17 The LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil which the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by burning incense to Ba'al." Jeremiah 19:5 and have built the high places of Ba'al to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Ba'al, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind; Jeremiah 32:29 The Chalde'ans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Ba'al and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger. Jeremiah 32:35 They built the high places of Ba'al in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

Epithets of Canaanite Deities

ANAT
War Chariot likened to Astarte and Anat (Egypt, 13th c. B.C.)
Anat, Lady of Heaven, Mistress of All the gods" (Beth Shan, Ramesis III)
[Source: James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET), pp. 17-18,249-250, 470, Princeton, 1969, web.archive.org]

goddess, posibly Astarte, from Phoenicia

ASTARTE ASHTAROTH (ATHTARAT)
Ashtoreth of the Field (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Dame Athirat of the Sea (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Lady Asherah of the Sea (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Progenitress of the Gods (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Prophet of Astarte (Egypt, 14th c. B.C.)
mighty in the chariot like Astarte (Egypt, Thothmosis IV)
War Chariot likened to Astarte and Anat (Egypt, 13th c. B.C.)
Astarte appears in its orient"= temple of Astarte (Papyrus Anastasi II,
13th c. B.C.)

BAAL
the Prince of Earth (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Prince Baal (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Dagon's Son (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Rider of the Clouds (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Prophet of Baal (Egypt, 14th c. B.C.)
Adon-Zaphon = Lord of the North (Sa'ad, Ramesis II)
I was like Seth/Montu/Baal in the time of his might" (Different
versions of same text, Ramesis II)
Baal Shamaim = Master/Lord of Heaven (Egyptian text, Ramesis III)

EL
the Kindly One (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
the Bull El (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Bull his father El (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Bull El Benign (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Creator of creatures (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Father of mankind (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
King Father Shunem. (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)
Creator of Creatures (Ugarit, 14th c. B.C.)

MELQART
Mekal, the god of BethShan worshipped by Egyptian architect
Amen-em-Opet and his son (Beth Shan,Thothmosis III)
Melqart (Ben-Hadad, 9th c. B.C.)

RASHAP
Rashap, the great god, lord of heaven, ruler of the Ennead (Stela of
Anat)
Rashap, the great god, lord of heaven, ruler of the Ennead, and lord
of eternity (Egypt, late 18th Dynasty)
Rashap-Shulman
The chariot-warriors are as mighty as Rashaps (Egypt, Ramesis III)

SETH
Seth of Hatti (Ramesis II)

Baal as Dying and Rising

Baal was an important Canaanite god. A characteristic aspect of Near Eastern religiosity is the idea of a deity who dies to rise again. These deities, of which Osiris or even Adonisare examples, often seem associated with fertility in some capacity. Baal seems to belong to this group. [Source: James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET), pp.138-141, Princeton, 1969, web.archive.org]

Dying and Rising God Motif (14th century B.C.) Reads:
From the tomb of the Godly Mot,
From the pit of El's Belov'd Ghazir,
The gods twain depart, tarry not.
There, they are off on their way
To Baal of the Summit of Zaphon.
Then Gapn and Ugar declare:
"Message of Godly Mot,
Word of the God-Belov'd Ghazir:
(next 13 lines unclear)
If thou smite Lotan, the serpent
slant,
Destroy the serpent tortuous,
..Shalyat of the seven heads,

Ugarit Baal

One lip to earth and one to heaven,
[He stretches his to]ngue to the stars.
Baal enters his mouth,
Descends into him like an olive-cake,
Like the yield of the earth and trees'
fruit.
Sore afraid is Puissant Baal,
Filled with dread is the Rider of
Clouds:
"Begone? Say unto Godly Mot,
Repeat unto El's Belov'd Ghazir:
'Message of Puissant Baal, (xo)
Word of the Powerful Hero:
Be gracious, 0 Godly Mot;
Thy slave I, thy bondman for ever.'

The gods depart, tarry not.
There, they are off on their way
Unto Godly Mot,
Into his city Hamriya,
Down to the throne that [he] sits on
His [filthy] land of inher'tance.
They lift up their voice and cry:
"Message of Puissant Son Baal,
Word of the Powerful Hero:
Be gracious, 0 Godly Mot;
Thy slave 1, thy bondman for ever."-

The Godly Mot rejoices [And lifting]
his [volice he cries:
"How humbled is [ ... ]."
(Several ends of lines, then about 20-
25 lines missing. Cols. iii-iv too
damaged for connected sense.)
But thou, take thy cloud, thy wind,
Thy..., thy rains;
With thee thy seven lads,
Thine eight boars.
With thee Padriya, daughter of Ar;
(10)
With thee Tatalliya (Tfly),s daughter
of Rabb.
There now, be off on thy way
Unto the Mount of Kankaniya.
Lift the mount upon thy hands,
The elevation upon thy palms,
And descend to the depth of the
earth,

250 or so lines later: Baal seizes the sons of Asherah.
Rabbim* he strikes in the back.
Dokyamm he strikes with a
bludgeon,
... he fells to the earth.
Baal [mounts] his throne of kingship,
[Dagon's Son] his seat of dominion.
[From] days to months, from months
to years.
Lo, after seven years,
The Godly Mot [ ... ]
Unto Puissant Baal. (xo)
He lifts up his voice and says:
'Upon thee ... may I see,'
Downfall upon thee may I see.
Winnowing (with fan
Upon thee may I see.
Cleaving) with sword
Upon thee may I see.
Burning with fire
Upon thee [may I see.

Baal mask from Carthage

My mother's sons, my...
They... like camels:
Mot's firm, Baal's firm.
They gore like buffaloes:
Mot's firm. Baal's firm.
They bite like snakes:
Mot's firm. Baal's firm. (20)
They kick like chargers:
Mot falls. Baal falls.
Above Shapsh cries to Mot:
"Hearken, now, Godly Mot!
Why striv'st thou with Puissant Baal
? Why ?
Should Bull El thy father hear thee,
He'll pull out thy dwelling's pillars.
Overturn thy throne of kingship,
Break thy staff of dominion !"
Sore afraid was Godly Mot, . (30)
Filled with dread El's Beloved

Thou'It' eat the bread of honor, (46)
Thou'It' drink the wine of favor.
Shapsh shall govern the gathered
ones,*
Shapsh shall govern the divine ones.
...gods... mortals,
... Kothar thy fellow,
Even Khasis thine intimate."
On the sea of monster and dragon,

Relationship of Baal and Anat

Relationship of Baal and Anat: (14th century B.C.)
"... Baal in his home,
The God Hadd in the midst of his palace ? ''
The lads of Baal make answer:
"Baal is not in his house,
[The God] Hadd in the midst of his palace.
His bow he has ta'en in his hand,
Also his darts in his right hand.
There he is off on his way
To Shimak Canebrake, (Lake Huleh?) the [bu[]falo-filled." —
The Maiden Ana[th] lifts her wing, (10)
Lifts her wing and speeds in flignt,
To Shimak Canebrake, (Lake Huleh?) the [bu[]falo-filled." —
puissant Baal lifts up his eyes,
Lifts up his eyes and beholds,
Beholds the Maiden Anath,
Fairest among Baal's sisters. [Source: James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET) P. 142, Princeton, 1969, web.archive.org]

Anat

Before her he rises, he stands,
At her feet he kneels and falls down.
And he lilts up his voice and cries: (20)
"Hail, sister, and...!
The horns of thy..., 0 Maiden Anath,
The horns of thy...Baal will anoint,
Baal will anoint them in flight.
We'll thrust my foes into the earth,
To the ground them that rise Ôagainst thy brother !"-
The Maiden Anath lifts up her eyes,
Lihs up her eyes and beholds,
Beholds a cow and proceeds a-walking,
proceeds a-walking and proceeds a-dancing,
In the pleasant spots, in the lovely places.

He seizes and holds [her] womb;
[She] seizes and holds [his] stones.
Baal... to an ox.
[ ... the Mailden Anath
[... ] to conceive and bear.
[Calvels the cows dr[op]: An ox for Maiden Anath
And a heifer for Yahamat LiimmimQuoth puissant [Baal]:
"...that our progenitor is eternal, ,, To all generations our begetter.
Baal scoops [his hands] full,
[The God] Hadd [his] fin[gets] full.
... the mouth of Maiden An[ath], (10)
E'en the mouth of [his] fairest sister.
Baal goes up in the mou[ntain],
Dagon's Son in the s[ky].
Baal sits upon [his th]rone,
Dagon's Son upon [his se]at.
(In lines 16-29, which are poorly preserved, there is again talk of
a buffalo being born to Baal, it being still not absolutely
clear that his bovine mother was Anath
herself.) (30)
And so she goes up to Arar,
Up to Arar and Zaphon.
In the pleasance, the Mount of possession,
She cries aloud to Baal:
"Receive, Baal, godly tidings,
Yea receive, 0 Son of Dagon:
A wild-ox is [born] to Baal,
A buffalo to Rider of Clouds."
Puissant Baal rejoices.

4,500-year-old Stone Statue of Anat Found in Palestine

Anat was the Canaanite goddess of love and war. Historians believe that Anat was the inspiration for the Greek goddess Athena. In 2022, a Palestinian farmer discovered the head of a 4,500-year-old Anat statue. Nidal Abu Eid was ploughing his land in Khan Yonis, in the Gaza Strip, when he stumbled upon the ancient stone statue, CNN reported. [Source: Joshua Zitser, Business InsiderApril 30, 2022]

"We found it by chance," he told BBC News. "It was muddy and we washed it with water." At first, the farmer had hoped to sell it to make some money, he told The New Arab, per CNN. "But an archaeologist told me that it was of great archaeological value," he said and he handed it over to the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, who put it on display at the Al-Basha Palace Museum in Gaza City.

The limestone statue is dated to 2,500 B.C., the ministry noted. It shows the head of the Canaanite goddess Anat who, according to Canaanite mythology, was the deity of love and war. She was famous for her youthful looks and ferocity in battle. The statue shows Anat's head encircled by a snake crown. Historians believe Anat influenced the character of the Greek goddess Athena, who was also regularly portrayed with snakes surrounding her.

Image Sources: Wikimedia, Commons, Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bible in Bildern, 1860

Text Sources: John R. Abercrombie, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania; James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts (ANET), Princeton, Boston University, bu.edu/anep/MB.html; “Old Testament Life and Literature” by Gerald A. Larue, New International Version (NIV) of The Bible, biblegateway.com; Wikipedia, National Geographic, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Times of London, The New Yorker, Reuters, AP, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, and various books and other publications.

Last updated March 2024