Introduction to the legend of the Hymn of Anat
Unfortunately, the panel displaying the legend (the Hymn of Anat) was damaged early on, which hindered our knowledge of many of its details, but what remains of the legend allows us to form a general picture of its content.
The legend of the Hymn of Anat intersects with more than one Ugaritic myth, especially
Those that speak of the period of Baal's absence while he accepted the wish of the god Mut to descend to him, which is spoken of in the legend of Baal and Anat.
We talked about the myth of Baal's struggle with the god Mut in a detailed article that you can refer to.
The bulk of this legend is devoted to a hymn addressed to the goddess Anat.
It was recited by a priest at the request of a father-in-law whose son was suffering from a marital issue: infertility. And then we find that the prayer is accepted. Such prayers and answers to them are common in other cultures that emerged in the ancient Near East.
The myth shows that the couple's marital issue is infertility. The issue of infertility will be addressed by the goddess Anat.
Part of the legend was associated with the New Year's festival, which was an important ritual for the fertility of infertile women.
It was recited by a priest at the request of a father-in-law whose son was suffering from a marital issue: infertility. And then we find that the prayer is accepted. Such prayers and answers to them are common in other cultures that emerged in the ancient Near East.
The myth shows that the couple's marital issue is infertility. The issue of infertility will be addressed by the goddess Anat.
Part of the legend was associated with the New Year's festival, which was an important ritual for the fertility of infertile women.
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| Anat and Baal -Inspired artwork generated with the help of AI |
The text of the legend of Anat's chant
from the wo]mb" you are born?.
ext]erminate on the second day,
fe[ll' on the third] day,
slay on [the fourth day.
Sever hands,
attach [them] to your girdle,
tie on the heads of your warriors.
And fly with your falcons
and settle on your mountain Inbubl,
come to your mountain (which) I know!!
Lo! Come yourself to your dwelling;
to the rolof]'s of the high [hea]vens go,
and run towards? the stars.
There [(your) warriors?] shall fall like poplars?',
like the trunks of ash-trees
... Penetrate the boundary...
...and altar...
...above the stars
the (most?) gracious [ ]image
Let Virgin Anat wash herself;
[let the Beloved of the] Powerful One bathe herself,
lower edge and let her go up to El [the Bull] her father,
-the dwelling of your deeds be [ ]
May he hear you, O Cow,
and understand (you), [Beloved of] the Powerful One.
May (my) voice be in your ear,
and [ ]
Because you have bound up evil".
since you have been clothed in light,
may the celestial messengers bless the prince;
may the celestial messengers send you strength".
I shall bless your son(s) as a first-bo[m],
(like) a prince I shall bless you.
Voracious was A[na]t the cow of Baal,
vo[ra]cious was Anat to bring forth,
she whose womb had not known conception,
[ ] ...suckling.
A study and analysis of the myth of the Hymn of Anat.
- The text shows that the Ugaritic gods suffer from the same issues as humans, as Anat appears childless and seeks to change this undesirable state of affairs. Procreation was very important to the gods as well as human wives.
- The text offers a short prayer, performed by the priest on behalf of the person in need, the husband, who is struggling with his wife's childlessness.
- There are common images between the texts, as Anat takes the form of a cow in more than one myth.
- The temple must be worthy of the goddess who is worshipped in it in terms of size and attention, so we find that the psalmist considers such a modest dwelling unworthy of the goddess.
- Childlessness was an important issue for the people of Ugarit, especially if the childless man was a king, and thus his need and the kingdom's need for a crown prince.
- Magic rituals were used in the Ugaritic kingdom to cure people of illness as well.
- Requesting a need is not directly from El, the chief god, but must be done through one of the gods, who in turn transmits it to El.
- The temples of Ugarit included a class of singers or minstrels who participated in ceremonies and rituals.
Written by H. Moses
Sources
- Gibson, John C. L. The Ugaritic Texts. Brill, 1978.
- Noll, K. L. Ugarit and the Ancient Near East. Eisenbrauns, 2001.
- Wyatt, N. Religious Texts from Ugarit. Sheffield Academic Press, 2002.
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