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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

About this book

Baal Cycle

KTU 1.1 III

Then they indeed set their faces towards Kothar-wa-Hasis, towards Egypt, of all of which he is god. Create the throne of his dwelling, Egypt the land of his inheritance, over a thousand miles, ten thousand leagues.
At the feet of Kothar they bowed and fell down, they paid him homage and honoured him.
And they said to Kothar-wa-Hasis, they declared to Hayin, who is the ambidextrous craftsman:⁠
“Message of Bull El your father, word of the Wise One, your progenitor:
Kothar, build, place in the foundry, prepare in the mountain a dwelling. Grasp your spear and your mace; let your feet hasten to me, let your legs hurry to me, towards the mountain, towards Mount Throne.
put […]
Hurry! Hasten! [Rush!] [To me let your feet hasten],
to me let your [legs] hurry, [towards the mountain],
For I have a word that I would say to you, a message that I would repeat to you:
A word of tree and whisper of stone, the sighing of the heavens to the earth, of the deep to the stars. A word unknown to men, and which the multitudes of the earth do not understand.
Come, and I shall reveal it in the midst of my divine mountain, Sapan.”
And Kothar-wa-Hasis replied: “Go, go! attendants of the gods! You may delay, but I shall hurry from Crete of the remotest of the gods, Egypt of the remotest of the chthonian gods, two layers beneath the springs of the earth, three expanses of the depths.”
two layers beneath [the springs of the earth], [three expanses]
Then he set his face towards the Wise One, the perceptive god, towards his mountain, Mount Throne.
He rolled back the tent of El, and he entered the pavilion of the King, the Father of the Bright One.
At the feet of El he bowed and fell down.
he paid homage [and honoured him].
Bull El, [his] father:
“Quickly [build a house], [quickly raise a palace]
in the midst of […]
[…]
[…]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.1 III:4 and Genesis 4:22

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Genesis describes Tubal-Cain as the first to work with metal, connected to his siblings who made music and tools. In Ugaritic tradition, the god Kothar-wa-Hasis is a builder who also supports musicians, highlighting how crafting was a gift from the gods.

Passages

KTU 1.1 III:4

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Then they indeed set their faces towards Kothar-wa-Hasis, towards Egypt, of all of which he is god. Create the throne of his dwelling, Egypt the land of his inheritance, over a thousand miles, ten thousand leagues. At the feet of Kothar they bowed and fell down, they paid him homage and honoured him. And they said to Kothar-wa-Hasis, they declared to Hayin, who is the ambidextrous craftsman: “Message of Bull El your father, word of the Wise One, your progenitor: Kothar, build, place in the foundry, prepare in the mountain a dwelling. Grasp your spear and your mace; let your feet hasten to me, let your legs hurry to me, towards the mountain, towards Mount Throne. put […] Hurry! Hasten! [Rush!] [To me let your feet hasten], to me let your [legs] hurry, [towards the mountain], For I have a word that I would say to you, a message that I would repeat to you: A word of tree and whisper of stone, the sighing of the heavens to the earth, of the deep to the stars. A word unknown to men, and which the multitudes of the earth do not understand. Come, and I shall reveal it in the midst of my divine mountain, Sapan.”
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Genesis 4:22

Hebrew Bible
17 Cain was intimate with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first of those who live in tents and keep livestock. 21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

References

"... smiths and griots perform similar rites for the dead, and myths ascribe their arts to a common origin, as do the myths of the Songhai. For the Hausa, sons of marriages of women from among the smiths and non-smith men are musicians, as are their own descendants. The Ugaritic text RS 24.252 calls musicians and singers the “friends” of the smith god Kothar-wa-Hasis, and the Canaanites ... Many of these elements appear in the biblical traditions associated with smiths, Kenites, and Midianites. The term “smiths” is not meant to limit the profession of the “Cain” group: among the Teda of Chad, the Congo Ekonda, the Kapsiki, the Shona, and the West African Bambara, Fula, Hausa, Mandinka, and Soninke, the same people are miners, smelters, blacksmiths, metalworkers, and tinkers—workers in gold, silver, iron, copper, or brass ... Cain’s offspring are all cultural heroes. Enoch is the creator of cities. Jabal is “the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.” Jubal is “the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe…Tubal-Cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron.” The biblical smiths are thus musicians, as well ..."
Robert D. Miller II, Yahweh: Origin of a Desert God (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2021), 175–176.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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KTU 1.1 III:4 and Genesis 4:22

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