Reading Qs 12

We have now moved to our unit on Syria/Canaan and Anatolia!

Some Syrian Gods

El/Ilu – The old king of the gods

Baal – A young warrior rain/storm god, El’s (grand?)son

Anat – The goddess of battle, Baal’s teenage sister

Mot

The Rapiuma

Both “The Rapiuma” and “Baal vs. Mot” come from the coastal Syrian city of Ugarit during the 1300s-1200s BC[E].

This reading includes 3 separate texts about the Rapiuma.

1. According to the introduction, what kind of people have scholars thought the Rapiuma were?
2. What do the Rapiuma (often translated “shades”) do in these texts?
3. On page 203, lines 2-4 are broken, but they have some intriguing bits. What would you guess is going on here?

Baal vs. Mot

This is the end of the Baal Cycle, an epic tale of how Baal gained the kingship of the gods despite challenges from Yamm the sea god and Athtar the son of El and Athirat. Having won out over Yamm and persuaded El to let him build a huge palace, Baal was very proud of himself, and threw a victory feast. He then had the brilliant idea of sending messengers to Mot, god of the Underworld, to brag about his accomplishments.

1. How is Mot described? What makes him dangerous?
2. What does Mot threaten to do to Baal, and how does Baal react to that? (140-144)
3. Baal now suggests to the other gods of the sky that he might invite Mot to a feast to try to appease him, but El orders Baal to go to the underworld instead. What is Baal told to take with him? (147-148) Why might this be?
4. Baal now goes to visit his girlfriend the cow and then apparently goes to Mot and dies (the text is broken). How does El mourn for his descendant? (149-150)
5. How does Anat mourn for her brother? What does she eventually do to Mot?
6. Baal comes back and is king again! But Mot is holding a grudge! What happens in their final showdown? (160-163)
7. Page 164 seems to be a ritual or incantation that goes with the story. Do you have any idea what its purpose is?

A Hittite Royal Funeral (pages 59-61)

The Hittites were active in Anatolia and Syria during the second millennium BC[E]. At times, they were more powerful than any other ancient Middle Eastern empire. Late in the millennium, they were deeply entangled with the Hurrians in the worldview and rituals.

1. In this text, how is the body of the Hittite king treated similarly to or differently from how it would be treated in Mesopotamia?
2. What elements of this funeral are similar to funerals in Mesopotamia? What is different?
3. What’s the deal with the effigy (model) of the dead person?

Ritual for an Abi Pit

Abi pits (also known as ayabi or ‘ob pits) were used by the Hurrians and sometimes other peoples in Syria and Upper Mesopotamia to ritually send things to the gods of the underworld. For example, in a ritual known as the Relocation of the Black Goddess, a sheep is killed and its blood poured down into an abi pit as a sacrifice. A shekel of silver is also thrown into the pit (page 389).

1. How might someone properly make and use an abi pit? (390)
2. What’s a way to get the goddesses to talk to the sun-god, judge of the underworld? (390-391)
3. What kinds of offerings can you pour down an abi?