Also unnamed, this was the religion of the Canaanites, natives of the
area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. For thousands
of years, the only evidence we had of their religion was from the Torah
and the Bible, where they are a constant enemy
of the Israelites. However, between 1927 and 1937, a number of
Canaanite tablets were discovered on the northern coast of Syria. It was
a polytheistic religion
with a number of deities, the most prominent among them being El, the
supreme deity, and Baal, his son and the god of thunder and rain.
One of the most popular myths was of a fight between Baal and Mot, the god of death. Baal challenges Mot and is easily overpowered, leading to a drought. All of the other gods, led by El, band together to free Baal. Anat, the virgin goddess of war, ends up going to the Underworld, slaying Mot, and freeing Baal. Influenced by a number of neighboring sects, it was slowly eroded by Israelite conquests and religious pressure, until it vanished altogether.
One of the most popular myths was of a fight between Baal and Mot, the god of death. Baal challenges Mot and is easily overpowered, leading to a drought. All of the other gods, led by El, band together to free Baal. Anat, the virgin goddess of war, ends up going to the Underworld, slaying Mot, and freeing Baal. Influenced by a number of neighboring sects, it was slowly eroded by Israelite conquests and religious pressure, until it vanished altogether.
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