Baal’s Coronation on Mount Zephon: Ritual and Symbolism in Ugaritic Storm-God Mythology
The coronation of Baal was supposed to take place on the summit of Mount Zephon, and the one who prepared for this coronation was Anat, who appears in some myths as Baal's sister and in others as Baal's mistress and wife.
This coronation took place in an overcast and snowy atmosphere
and such an atmosphere is definitely associated with the nature of this god, Baal, the god of the storm.
There are those who describe this hymn of nature as misleading because of its reliance on similes and metaphors and avoiding literal and accurate description.
This myth speaks of describing the New Year festival associated with Baal's victory over death and his return to his mountain. The first part of this poem shows the close relationship between Baal and Mount Zephon, as both carry royal power in which Baal is the person and Zephon is the place.
In the second part of the legend, he continues, but in the depiction of rain from Baal's mouth, and perhaps in this is suggestive of intercourse, as evidenced by the images of lips and kissing, the text in general is a lyrical and discursive description of the events that Baal goes through.
 |
| baal |
Legendary Text: A Hymn to Baal Enthroned
Baal sits enthroned
Like the resting of a mountain,
Haddu, firm like the cosmic ocean,
In the midst of his mountain, divine Zephon,
In the heart of the Mount of Victory.
Seven flashes of lightning burst forth,
Eight bolts—storehouses—of thunder,
The tree of lightning spreads its limbs.
Like the ocean, vast and deep,
On Mount Zephon, throne of the storm.
Seven lightning flashes again,
Eight bundles of thunder roll,
The tree of lightning flares once more.
The Exalted One alone
Pours the libation into the sacred bowl.
The virgin Anat
Washes her hands clean,
Her fingers beloved by the Mighty One.
She takes her lyre,
Clasps the harp shaped like a bull to her breast.
She sings with longing for Baal the Bold,
Of the love of Padriya, daughter of light,
Of Taliya, daughter of affection,
And Arsa, daughter of desire—eternally.
(Text breaks off here in the tablet)
A Study and Analysis of A Hymn to Baal Enthroned
- A girl in Ugarit performs some duties towards her father, as the legend shows, she massages his feet and there are other documents that show that this task is one of the duties of the wife. There is another ritual referred to by scholars, which is the ritual of ablution and their father, which was performed by Talia the daughter of Baal towards her father This made some say that this ritual reflects the ritual that the daughter of the king in Ugarit had to perform to the statue of Baal.
- Ugaritic women did not practice the profession of singing playing musical instruments, but legends speak of Anah performing this role where she played the lyre. In this myth.
- In the legend of Kurt, we find his youngest daughter playing a similar role after her brother asked her to do so. The legend speaks of the period following Baal's victory over death and this ritual is performed permanently and perhaps the period between one coronation and the other and depending on Baal's cycle was seven years.
- The important place of Mount Zephon in the Ugaritic pantheon as a place for the coronation of the gods and their meetings, which was passed on to other civilizations.
- The depth of the relationship between Baal as a god and Mount Zephon as the place of the god's coronation. The myth reflects a large part of the behavior of Ugaritic society and the way it dealt with the gods.