KTU I.2

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East

The mace leapt from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. It struck the shoulders of Prince Yam, the chest of Ruler Nahar. But Yam was strong, he did not flinch. His joints did not tremble; his visage was not discomposed. Kothar fashioned two maces, and he pronounced their names. You, your name is 'All-Driver' All-Driver, drive Yam away, drive Yam from his throne, Nahar from the siege of his dominion! You must leap from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. Strike the skull of Prince Yam (Ocean), the brow of Ruler Nahar (River)! Let Yam collapse in a heap, and let him fall to the ground!' Then the mace leapt from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers.

Psalm 74:13

Hebrew Bible

10 How long, O God, will the adversary hurl insults? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever? 11 Why do you remain inactive? Intervene and destroy him. 12 But God has been my king from ancient times, performing acts of deliverance on the earth. 13 You destroyed the sea by your strength; you shattered the heads of the sea monster in the water. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along the coast. 15 You broke open the spring and the stream; you dried up perpetually flowing rivers. 16 You established the cycle of day and night; you put the moon and sun in place.

 Notes and References

"... The third part of this template in the Baal Cycle turns to Baal’s conflict with the god of Death (KTU 1.5–1.6). As this particular part of the template is less well attested apart from the Baal Cycle, it has been thought to represent an elaboration of the mythology of Death modeled on the template’s first part. Baal’s engagement with Death seems to mythologize the desiccating east wind (compare Hosea 13:14), just as Baal’s conflict with Sea mythologizes the rain-bearing west wind (compare Psalm 29) and the completion of Baal’s palace mythologizes the coming of the rains. These parts of the basic template presented in the Baal Cycle all evoke the meteorological transition during the late-summer / early fall when the east wind desists, replaced by the west wind and the arrival of the early autumn rains. An elaboration of this template involves the role of Anat as warrior goddess who battles against several of the cosmic enemies, including Sea, the Dragon, and the Twisty Serpent, also called the seven-headed monster (KTU 1.3 III 38–42, SAC 120). The goddess also comes to the aid of Baal when she decimates Death (KTU 1.6 II, SAC 147–48). While the Psalms lack the extensive mythological narrative that the Baal Cycle constitutes, they contain mythological allusions to Yahweh’s divine enemies. Sea, the dragons, and Leviathan are prominent in Psalm 74:13–14 ... The three enemies here correspond to Ugaritic Sea, battled by both Baal and Anat, Anat’s enemy, the Dragon, and Baal's enemy, Litan ..."

Smith, Mark S. "Canaanite Backgrounds to the Psalms" in Brown, William P. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms (pp. 43-56) Oxford University Press, 2014

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