Thread 41275677

Below is a list of the major deities from Ugaritic and early Hebrew sources (c. 1500 – 800 BCE), what they represented, and how they were typically depicted in iconography, inscriptions, or mythic descriptions.
EL
“Father of the Gods,” High GodDomain: Sky father, creation, wisdom, judgment, head of the divine council.
Appearance:
>Elderly man with a long beard, wearing a tall conical or horned crown.
>Often enthroned, holding a staff or scepter.
>Associated with bull iconography (bulls beside his throne or horns on his headdress).
>Symbols: Bull, throne, scepter.
>Titles: “El Elyon” (God Most High), “Father of Years,” “Kindly El.”


He was the patriarchal god from whom other deities descended, and later, Yahweh absorbed his titles and identity.
Baal (Hadad)
Storm & Fertility God
Domain: Storms, rain, fertility, seasonal cycles, kingship.
Appearance:
>Young, strong man wearing a horned helmet.
>Often shown brandishing a thunderbolt or club, sometimes standing on a bull.
>Sometimes with a short kilt, chest bare, heroic stance.
>Symbols: Thunderbolt, bull, club, mountain.
>Titles: “Rider on the Clouds,” “Lord of the Earth.”


Baal was the most popular god of common people. His cult rivaled Yahweh’s in ancient Israel.

Yam
God of the Sea
Domain: Seas, chaos, primordial waters.
Appearance:
>Often represented as a serpentine or monstrous sea god.
>Rarely anthropomorphic; sometimes a man emerging from waves.
>Symbols: Waves, serpents, sea creatures.
>Titles: “Prince Sea,” “Judge River.”


Yam was a chaotic god, often cast as a rival to Baal in mythic battles representing order vs. chaos.
Mot
God of Death & the Underworld
Domain: Death, decay, drought, underworld.
Appearance:
>Depicted as a gaunt, skeletal or shadowy figure.
>Sometimes as a gaping mouth or devouring figure in Ugaritic texts.
>Symbols: Underworld pit, skeletal imagery, jaws.
>Titles: “Lord of the Underworld.”


Mot is not a devil figure but a personification of death itself, in tension with Baal’s life-giving rain.

Shachar & Shalim
Twin Gods of Dawn and Dusk
Domain: Dawn (Shachar) and dusk (Shalim).
Appearance:
>Often depicted as twin youths, radiant and androgynous.
>Symbols of light, rebirth, and celestial cycles.
>Symbols: Morning star, evening star, sun rays.
>Titles: “Sons of El.”


Their names survive in Hebrew: “Shachar” = dawn, and “Shalem” may be linked to Jerusalem (Yerushalem).
Asherah (Athirat)
Mother Goddess & Consort of El
Domain: Fertility, motherhood, sea, protector of life.
Appearance:
>Depicted as a noble woman with a crown, often bare-breasted (symbolizing fertility).
>Sometimes with a tree of life motif.
>Wooden poles (asherim) were sacred to her.
>Symbols: Tree, pole, lion, dove.
>Titles: “Lady of the Sea,” “Mother of the Gods.”


Asherah was worshipped widely in ancient Israel. Archaeological inscriptions even say: “Yahweh and his Asherah.” Later biblical authors erased or demonized her cult.

Shapash
Sun Goddess
Domain: The sun, justice, light, guide of souls to the underworld.
Appearance:
>Female solar figure with a solar disk crown.
>Sometimes riding a chariot or standing with raised hands.
>Symbols: Solar disk, chariot, rays of light.
>Titles: “Torch of the Gods.”


Shapash mediated between the living and the dead — the sun’s light entering the underworld at night.
Yarikh
Moon God
Domain: The moon, cycles of time, fertility.
Appearance:
>Young male god with a crescent moon headdress.
>Sometimes depicted holding a vessel or staff.
>Symbols: Crescent moon, bulls, fertility.
>Titles: “Illuminator of the Heavens.”


Yarikh was also connected to vegetation cycles and night protection.

Resheph
God of Plagues and War
Domain: Plague, war, destruction, healing.
Appearance:
>Warrior god, armed with a spear or bow.
>Crown of gazelle horns, sometimes flames.
>Symbols: Spear, gazelle horns, fire.
>Titles: “Lord of the Arrow.”


Resheph was both feared and invoked for protection against disease.
Anat
Warrior & Love Goddess
Domain: War, hunting, love, and maidenhood.
Appearance:
>Young woman, often armed with a sword or spear.
>Sometimes shown standing on a lion or surrounded by enemies.
>Occasionally depicted nude or semi-nude to reflect dual love/war aspects.
>Symbols: Sword, lion, lotus, shield.
>Titles: “Virgin Anat,” “Mistress of Heroes.”


Anat was a brutal goddess — famous for slaughtering enemies, but also protective and loving.

Astarte (Ashtart)
Goddess of Sex, Love, and Power
Domain: Sexuality, fertility, war, political power.
Appearance:
>Radiant female figure, sometimes with horned headdress.
>Often nude or semi-nude, emphasizing sensuality and authority.
>Symbols: Star, crescent, lion, lotus.
>Titles: “Queen of Heaven.”


Astarte’s cult was widespread, influencing later depictions of Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus.
Kothar-wa-Khasis
Craftsman God
Domain: Smithing, crafts, magic, engineering.
Appearance:
>Bearded man with artisan tools (hammer, chisel).
>Sometimes wearing a craftsman’s apron.
>Symbols: Hammer, chisel, workshop.
>Titles: “Skillful and Wise.”
He was like the Canaanite equivalent of Hephaestus or Ptah.

Lotan (Leviathan)
Sea Serpent / Chaos Monster
Domain: Chaos, the deep sea.
Appearance:
>A seven-headed serpent or dragon.
>Massive, coiled, primordial creature.
>Symbols: Serpent, ocean depths.
>Titles: “Twisting Serpent,” “Fleeing Serpent.”
Lotan was defeated by Baal in myth — a clear prototype for later biblical Leviathan imagery.
Dagon
Grain & Agriculture God
Domain: Agriculture, grain, fertility of the earth.
Appearance:
>Bearded male figure, sometimes with fish-like features (in later Philistine syncretism).
>Grain stalks in hand.
>Symbols: Grain, fish, plow.
>Titles: “Lord of Grain.”
Dagon was a major deity in the Levant and among the Philistines.

Yahweh actually entered the pantheon a little later than many of the other Canaanite deities. Unlike El, Baal, or Asherah (who are well documented at Ugarit), Yahweh seems to have been a southern regional god who eventually got adopted into the Canaanite divine structure, in the earliest layers of belief, Yahweh was seen as a son of El.
Here’s a complete profile for him in that original context
Yahweh (YHW / Yahu)
Storm God, Son of El (Later High God)
Domain (originally):
>Storms, war, protector of nomadic tribes, wilderness.
>Associated with mountains, storms, and divine vengeance or deliverance.
>Over time, he absorbed El’s role and became a universal creator god.
Origin:
>Early mentions of Yhw or Yahu appear in Egyptian texts from the Late Bronze Age (~14th–13th c. BCE), connected to Edom, Midian, Seir, and the southern deserts.
>These regions were outside the main Canaanite city-states. Yahweh was probably a tribal storm deity brought north.
Divine status:
>In early Israelite religion, Yahweh is one of the bene elohim (sons of El).
>Deuteronomy 32:8–9 (Dead Sea Scrolls version) explicitly shows:
“When Elyon (Most High) divided up the nations…
He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God (bene elohim).
>Yahweh’s portion was his people, Jacob his inheritance.”
This places Yahweh under the authority of El Elyon in the earliest theology.

Appearance:
Early Israelites likely saw Yahweh in the same visual way other Canaanite gods were imagined, not as a purely abstract being. The imagery of him riding on a cloud, appearing in storm and fire, and dwelling on a mountain all come from this period. It’s only later, during the Exilic and Second Temple periods, that Yahweh became the invisible, sole, all-powerful God.
Often envisioned like other West Semitic storm gods (similar to Baal):
>Young or middle-aged warrior, with a beard, wearing a horned crown or helmet.
>Holding a thunderbolt or spear, sometimes riding on clouds or storms.
>Depicted as standing on mountains, symbolizing authority and storm-bringing.
Later Hebrew texts describe him as invisible and enthroned in fire or clouds (e.g., Sinai theophany).
Symbols:
>Storm cloud, lightning bolt, mountain, fire, whirlwind.
>Bulls may also have been sacred to him in early cult (like El and Baal).
>Sacred mountains: Sinai, Seir, Paran.
Consort:
>Asherah, in early Israelite inscriptions.
>Inscriptions from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud (8th c. BCE) say:
“Blessed be you by Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah.”
>This confirms Yahweh had a divine partner before later theology erased her.
Titles:
>“Yahweh of Hosts” (YHWH Tseva’ot) — Commander of divine armies.
>“Rider on the Clouds” (borrowed from Baal titles).
>“God of Israel” (after tribal adoption).
Transformation:
>Son of El: a storm god assigned to Israel.
>Supreme God of Israel: elevated above other gods.
>Fusion with El: Yahweh adopts El’s identity as “Most High.”
>Monotheism: other gods demoted to angels, demons, or erased entirely.

>>41275677 (OP)
OK?

>>41275763
You don’t see how important this is? Proves Christianity to be false.

>>41275900
not quite

1 Kings 18:20-40

>>41275900
>Proves Christianity to be false.
Anyone who needs that proved to them won't believe any amount of proof.

>>41275736
Yahweh sounds like the fascist god

>>41275900
I don't need a proof I KNOW by just simple observation.
Everything turns around abrahamics nowadays.
>Oh you NEED to be either christian or muslim or jew or else you won't go to heaven but if you must deny christianity then we REALLY REALLY NEED you to be either satanist or atheist or some other form of reverse-christianity or else our mental trap won't work
>Oh remember gnosticism that's just some ancient christianity cult
>Remember pagans oh they just worship some marvel heroes because we turned them into a branch of christianity with jesus replaced by thor or zeus or something
>Oh you want to try something eastern? Have fun sitting and jerking off in a circle with lmao weed dudes
The only things jewish hands haven't touched are native american faiths and some obscure shinto/siberian slavic rituals (which are basically just distilled versions of native american anyway)

>>41275677 (OP)
>Baal was the most popular god of common people. His cult rivaled Yahweh’s in ancient Israel.

Actually OP, the rabbit hole goes deeper. Baal is Yahweh. There's more I can show, but this is just a start for you.


From John Day's masterly study of over twenty-five years in regard to the impact of Canaanite religion and mythology on ancient Israel and the Old Testament Bible.

Day writes in Y𝘢hweh 𝘢nd the Gods 𝘢nd Goddesses of C𝘢n𝘢𝘢n:

Yahweh's kingship in this psalm is manifested in the thunder, just like that of Baal, and the thunder is represented as his voice, as was also the case with Baal (cf. KTU 1.4.VII.29-31). Yahweh's lordship over the cosmic waters (vv. 3,10) and exaltation over the other gods of the divine assembly (v.1) is also ultimately derived from Baal mythology.

There can thus be no doubt that Psalm 29 stands remarkably close to the circle of mythological ideas surrounding Baal as they are attested in the Ugaritic texts. A number of scholars, in particular H.L. Ginsberg, T.H. Gaster, F.M. Cross and A. Fitzgerald, go so far as to maintain that Psalm 29 is a Canaanite psalm taken over wholesale, with the simple substitution of the name of Yahweh instead of the name of Baal for the deity concerned.

Note: Baal is traditionally regarded as a demon in Abrahamic religion, basically the religion of Baal was blanketed over by another God, the Jewish/Christian one, and thus he becomes just another bad guy when rewritten into the Biblical texts. But the reality is that the text of the Bible itself was copied from the Baal texts which predate both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoW82Lb96vU

>>41276238
The appropriation of existing Baal literature by yahwists doesn't mean that Baal and yahweh are the same guy.

>>41275742 #
Good post.

It's relevant pointing out that Margaret Baker shows how early Judaism is a dual Messiah religion. The high priest is the religious Messiah, the king is the political.
She eloquently links the high priest and the king to Yahweh & El. With the Messiah acting as either their emanation on earth or their representative. This fits in nicely to early Hebrew emanationism, which was a split off from pagan emanationist theology that we see in platonism and Mediterranean-levant judeo-pagan gnosticism (pre Christian).

We can trace that this is the religious makeup further when we look into the early Jesus movement. John & Jesus are clearly tied to the Qumran religious community, with john meant to be the religious Messiah and Jesus the political.

At some point after the death of Christ, El and Yahweh became completely fused together.
>>41275900 #
Christianity is absolutely false, but there's even more than this that shows it to be so.
Generally monotheism is a patently false religious ideal. But out of all the religions that came up in the world, Christianity is the one that is consistently the odd man out. i say this as someone who has studied all the major world religions.

Nicene Christianity, legitimately, is the only one that is completely different to all the rest. This becomes especially true when we get to protestantism, which lacks even the most basic aspect of traditional religions.

Christianity lacks so much to it that you need to take from other religious wisdom traditions in order to make it at all functional. This is entirely on purpose. Christianity was designed by figures such as Constantine to be a false religion.

>>41276620
Alot of people modernly believe that religion & magic are entirely separate things. This is especially so with the western occult crowd, who state that magic can be replicated and has certain procedures to cause specific things to happen.

These people are foolish, because religion and magic, in the pre Christian world, are one and the same.

Why is this important to note? Because religion also is meant to be replicatable, it is meant to have procedures that cause specific things to happen. There are additional aspects to religion, but none so important as this; traditional religion has features in it that are indistinguishable to magic. It is meant to cause specific results to manifest, not just be a neat way of thinking about the world. There are right and wrong ways to practice religion, in the same vein as there are right and wrong ways to practice magic.

Christianity stripped all of this out and created separate categories, including of what is and isn't religion.

Christianity itself lacks even the most basic understanding for what makes religion work. The people who follow along have even less confidence in saying they understand what they're doing, especially protestants.

The only time it works is when it becomes folk Christianity and is thoroughly blended with the earlier religion.

>>41276655
No sin can be so egregious of Christianity, as the focus on orthodoxy. Correct creed! What a stupid, horrendous idea.

The ancient people practiced religion so much differently. They couldn't care less about creeds, they cared about practice. They were orthopraxists to the core. This befuddled the early Christians post nicean council, who could not understand why pagans weren't tearing eachother apart over believing in different gods & having different myths.

Much less could they understand how a Greek could go worship an Egyptian or Phoenician god or vice versa? How could someone go to mass and then the bacchanalia?

Because traditional religion couldn't give less of a shit about creed. What it cared about was correct practice. They saw no need to make a distinction from one religion and the other, beyond scope of philosophical view. But even that was held as a practice, not a creed.


Christianity is fundamentally a broken religion. It is not functional, it has been designed by Rome to be that way. With each new would be empire making it worse.

well how about that

>>41275677 (OP)
>bull
Obligatory pic

>>41276830
>dumbfuck retard has never heard of nor seen a female cow with horns
Are you gonna tell me bulls also have two dicks? Because I don't see just one phallus, there.

>>41275677 (OP)

>Odium
>Stormfather

What did Sanderson mean by this?

>>41276830
Where is Yahweh's trans wife?

>>41276981
Nta but ??

So op created this thread so we don't have to go to wikipedia and read this all ourselves there? What's the point?