Phoenician Mythology Tales

[Neal Robbins]

Tanit was a goddess in Phoenician mythology. She was the main goddess of the Phoenician colony of Carthage. A terracotta statue of Tanit was found in a coastal village southeast of the site of Carthage. The sculpture depicts her as wearing a feather skirt and having the head of a lioness. This statue and four others of Tanit found at the same location have been dated to the late 5th century B.C.
Tanit was also worshipped in Phoenicia itself. An ivory plaque with the name "Tanit Ashtart" was found in the remains of the 7th B.C. Phoenician city of Sarepta, which was 8 miles south of Sidon. The stele is only 2 inches long and 1.3 inches wide. The four line inscription says:

The statue, which SLM, son of MPL, son of ZY made for Tanit 'Ashtart'

SLM may have been pronounced "Shillem" and ZY may have been pronounced "Uzzay".
There is other evidence that Tanit was worshipped in Phoenicia. Several terracotta figurines bearing her sign have been found in the sea off Shaveh-Ziyyon, which is north of Akko.
The sign of Tanit is also on a glass disk from Sarepta and a stamped amphora from Akko. The sign is a truncated pyramid, topped with a rectangular bar, over which are the sun and crescent moon.
Tanit's sign has been found on the stones of most marked graves in the area of Carthage. Tanit was associated with fertility and the harvests, as well as celestial bodies such as the moon and stars. The roots of her name mean "Serpent Lady".

Neal Robbins

[Neal Robbins]

Baal was one of the main deities of Phoenician mythology. There is an ancient text (still extant) on the cycle of Baal. It was written in Ugaritic, a Semitic language closely related to Phoenician. The manuscript is in three parts and each is inscribed on two tablets. There are six columns per side. Baal was often associated with rain and storms. His sister was the goddess Anath.
Baal wanted to be the king of the gods. However, El, the ruler of the gods, chose Yam Nahar (the god of rivers) to become the king of the gods. Baal was furious because Yam Nahar had been picked to be the king. The gods threatened to hand Baal over to the messengers of Yam Nahar. Baal became angry and attacked them. But Athtart and Anath, who was Baal's sister, restrained him.
Kothar-u-Khasis was the craftsman of the gods. He gave Baal the magic weapons Yagrush (chaser) and Aymur (driver) to fight Yam Nahar.
Baal used those devices to strike Yam Nahar in the chest and forehead, knocking him out. Athtart then chastised Baal. She urged Baal to "scatter" Yam Nahar, which he did.
In another version, Baal held a feast to celebrate. He complained about not having a palace of his own. Then Baal sent messengers to Anath. He asked her to perform a peace offering, so he could tell her about the power of the lightning and to seek lightning on Mount Zaphon. Anath complied with Baal's request and they had a meeting. Anath listened to Baal's complaints. She went to El (the father of the gods) and asked him to have a palace built for Baal. But El rejected the request.
Baal conceived another plan. He sent Qodesh and Amrur to Kothar-u-Khasis with a request to build a silver temple. This was to be used to bribe Athirat.
The strategy worked. Athirat was very pleased. She asked El for him to grant permission to have a palace built for Baal. This time El gave his consent. Baal gathered cedar, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli (a type of precious stone) on Mount Zaphon. Kothar-u-Khasis constructed a palace. At first Baal did not want any windows. He thought that Yam Nahar might come through the windows or his daughters might escape. But then he changed his mind and gave consent for windows to be made.
After the palace was completed, Baal held a feast and took over several towns. He sent his messengers Gupn and Ugar to Mot, the god of death. But the messengers returned with a profound message that frightened Baal. He decided to make himself the slave of Mot. Baal had Shegar and Ithm give cattle to Mot for food. Baal also had a substitue of him made by a cow.
Baal died and was in the underworld for seven years. During this time Ashtar tried to take the palace of Baal. Shapsu searched for him.
Baal finally returned from the underworld. He fought Mot's allies, which were the sons of Athirat and the yellow ones. After seven years, Mot returned and demanded one of Baal's brothers. Baal was furious and fought with Mot. Shapsu pulled them apart and said that Baal was favored by El. Mot was convinced that Baal should be the ruler of the gods. Thus Baal resumed his position as the leader of the gods.
It was believed that Baal's voice was thunder and that his ship was a snow-bearing cloud. Baal was sometimes referred to as "Rider of the Clouds". He was also called "Lord of the Sky and the Earth" or "Mightiest of Warriors". While in the underworld, Baal was called Raipu.

Neal Robbins

[Neal Robbins]

In Phoenician mythology Anath was a goddess of beauty, but she was also a war goddess. Baal was the brother of Anath. One story goes that when Mot killed Baal, Anath went into a fit of rage. Anath and Shapash (the sun goddess) took Baal's body to Mount Zaphon and buried it there. Seven years of drought followed. Then Mot returned and Anath killed him. She cut Mot's body into many pieces and sowed them in the soil, like grain.
In another story, Daniel, a brother of Rapiu (the name for Baal in the underworld) had Kothar-u-Khasis make a bow and arrows. Daniel presented them to his son Aqhat. Anath desired the bow and asked if she could have it. She offered Aqhat riches and immortality, but he refused. Anath vowed vengeance on Aqhat if he said anything to El about it. He told El about what Anath had asked. El talked to Anath about it, but told her that she might as well try to get the bow. Anath disguised herself as a kindred woman and lured Aqhat to Qart-Abilim. But this plan to get the bow did not work.
Anath was not one to give up. She went to the warrior attendant Yatpan and asked him to get the bow. Yatpan took the form of an eagle. With several other birds, he went to the mountain, attacked Aqhat, and slew him. But the bow fell into the waters and was lost forever. Aqhat felt anguish and regretted what she had done to Aqhat.
Anath is definitely one of the major deities of Phoenician mythology.

Neal Robbins

[Neal Robbins]

Yarikh is the moon god in Phoenician mythology. This deity had these titles:

"The Illuminator of Myriads"
"Lamp of Heaven"
"Lord of the Sickle"

Yarikh was the patron god of the city of Qart-Abilim. His daughters were the Kotharat. They were believed to be goddesses who could take the form of birds, specificly swallows. They were sometimes referred to as "Daughters of the Crescent Moon" and were connected with the new moon.
One story goes that Yarikh wished to marry the goddess of fruits and the harvest. Her name was Nikkal. [Note - She was also called Nikkal-and-Ib.] One evening after sunset, Yarikh embraced Nikkal in his arms. He was determined to marry her and asked Khirkib to negotiate the bride price. Khirkib tried to talk Yarikh out of it and suggested that he marry Ybrdmy or Pidray, who were daughters of Baal. But Yarikh insisted that he wished to marry Nikkal. So the bride price was arranged with Nikkal's family and the wedding took place.
Dagon was the father of Nikkal. The Phoenicians considered him to be a god of wheat and the inventor of the plow. Khirkib was the god of summer and the raiding season. He may have been worshipped by the Hurrians before the Phoenicians began to worship him.

Neal Robbins

[Neal Robbins]

Baaleth was a goddess in ancient Phoenician mythology. She was referred to as "The Lady of Byblos" by the residents of the Phoenician city of Byblos. A limestone plaque depicts the goddess. It shows her sitting on a footstool. She is holding a papyrus sceptor in her left hand. Her right hand is upraised. Baaleth is wearing the horned headdress of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. Yehawmilk, the king of Byblos, is standing before Baaleth. He is wearing a shawl over a robe and a conical headdress with a streamer at the back. Yehawmilk holds a bowl in his left hand; he is making an offering to the goddess. His right hand is upraised in a gesture of a respect. Above the two figures is winged disk. This plaque is 1.13 m. in height. It has been dated to the late 5th or early 4th century B.C.

Neal Robbins

P.S. The Phoenicians often traded with other peoples of the Mediterranean. Cultural influences between them and other peoples often occurred. For example, the Phoenician god Melqart was sometimes identified with the Greek Herakles (Hercules). A limestone statuette of Herakles-Melqart was found at Idallion. It is 44 cm. in height.

P.P.S. The name Baaleth is the female equivalent of the name Baal. Baaleth means "mistress" and Baal means "lord" or "master". Phoenician is a Semitic language and the -eth is a feminine suffix. Feminine suffixes in Semitic languages often have a -t sound. For example, this occurs in the feminine plurals of both Arabic and Hebrew.

[Neal Robbins]

In Phoenician mythology Eshmun represented the cycle of life and death. He was the lover of the goddess Astarte. The rites of Eshmun included weeping, lamentation, planting gardens, eating pork, processions through the city.
The temple of Eshmun was built at a spring in the mountains. But he was considered to have been enthroned with Astarte in the temple of heaven on high (amm rmn) and the temple of the land of the dead ('rs rmn). The rites of Astarte and Eshmun were observed in many places, including Phoenician colonies throughout the Mediterranean.
An inscription found at Kition (on Cyprus) records payments made to people participating in a festival meal for Astarte and Eshmun. The event took place at the new moon. It included construction of a temple for Astarte in Kition and a procession through the streets of the city. There was singing, sacrifices, shaving, and baking bread for Astarte. Cakes were provided for those who took part in the festival and a street pillar was erected for Eshmun. Eshmun was sometimes identified with the Greek character Adonis.

Neal Robbins

P.S. The records state that the cakes were made of wheat and honey. Twenty carpenters are listed as having built the pillar.

thank you very much for sharing info about the forgotten civilization.

a phoenician