Stele of Ba'al with thunderbolt. Found at the acropolis in Ras Shamra-Ugarit. Ba'al can refer to any god and even to human officials. In some texts it is used for Hadad, a god of the rain, thunder, fertility and agriculture, and the lord of Heaven. Hadad
Stele of Ba'al with thunderbolt. Found at the acropolis in Ras Shamra-Ugarit. Ba'al can refer to any god and even to human officials. In some texts it is used for Hadad, a god of the rain, thunder, fertility and agriculture, and the lord of Heaven. Hadad was the son of El, who had once been the primary god of the Canaanite pantheon. El and Ba'al are often associated with the bull as a symbol both of strength and fertility. He is also the reigning king of the Syrian pantheon of god who fights the forces of the sea (Yammu) and death (Motu) with his clubs Driver (Yagrush) and Chaser (Ayyamuuri). The worship of Ba'al extended from the Canaanites to the Phoenicians who also were partially an agricultural people. Both Ba'al and his cohort Ashtoreth, or Astarte, who is equivalent to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, were both Phoenician fertility symbols. Ba'al, the sun god, was fervently prayed to for the protection of livestock and crops. Priests instructed the people that Baal was responsible for droughts, plagues, and other calamities. Circa 15th-13th century BC.
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Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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