| Anat(h) is the consort of Ba’al-Hadad and is sometimes depicted as having cow’s horns. When Baal is believed to be dead at the hands of Mot, Anat searches for Ba‘al “like a cow for its calf.” (30) In Egypt, Anat(h) was sometimes fused with Astarte, the Semitic Ashtareth, and sometimes they were separate deities. (31) Author Philo Byblos, in the early 2nd century AD, mentions the “virginity of Anath,” and identifies her with Athena, the goddess of the Greeks. (32) In the 5th century BC Aramaic Elephantine (Egypt) papyri, Anat is mentioned as Anat-Yahu (Anat-Yahweh). (33) Also, a Canaanite town in the territory of Naphtali was called Beth Anath (“House of Anath”). (34) Another is the town of Anathoth, (today, Anatha, north of Jerusalem). (35) In Egypt, Anath became the wife of Seth and in a spell to exorcise demons, the operator affirms at one point that s/he has suckled from the breasts of Anat, “the big cow of Seth.” (36) She was regarded as an androgynous goddess, who dressed as a male, but looked feminine. Most historians describe her as warlike, with shield and spear as she was depicted by the Greeks in later times as Athena. This may have been how she ended up, but it was not how she started out. However, note should be taken as to her androgynous nature, indicating the hermaphrodite quality. (37) Kingship in Heaven The Hittite pantheon which descended from Canaanite myth consisted of the Father god Elkunirsa, his wife Ashertu, and their children Baal-Haded (the storm god) and Ishtar. (38) In one of the Hittite myths called the Kingship in Heaven, if one reads into it deeply, reflects not only Sumerian and Babylonian myth but paves the way for the creation of later Egyptian and Greek myths as well. It’s very long and involved so I will skip to the parts which are the most meaningful in relation to what I’m pointing out in the storyline: “Once in the olden days Alalus was king in heaven. (As long as) Alalus was seated on the throne, the mighty Anu, first among the gods, was standing before him. He would sink at his feet and set the drinking cup in his hand. Nine in number were the years that Alalus was king in heaven. In the ninth year Anu gave battle to Alalus and he vanquished Alalus. He fled before him and went down to the dark earth. Down he went to the dark earth, but Anu took his seat upon the throne. (As long as) Anu was seated upon the throne, the mighty Kumarbi would give him his food. He would sink at his feet and set the drinking cup in his hand. “Nine in number were the years that Anu was king in heaven. In the ninth year Anu gave battle to Kumarbi and like Alalus, Kumarbi gave battle to Anu. (When) he could no longer withstand Kumarbi's eyes, (he) Anu, struggled forth from the hands of Kumarbi. He fled, (he) Anu; (like) a bird he moved in the sky. After him rushed Kumarbi, seized (him) Anu, by his feet and dragged him down from the sky. |
“He (Kumarbi) bit his ‘knees’ and his manhood went down into his inside. When it lodged there (and) when Kumarbi had swallowed Anu's manhood, he rejoiced and laughed. Anu turned back to him, to Kumarbi he began to speak: ‘Thou rejoicest over thine inside, because thou hast swallowed my manhood’.” At this point we can see several things occurring which are similar to the Egyptian myth of Osiris or the later Greek myth of Cronus and Zeus and the concept of “castration of the Father God.” Each successive god has taken the throne by some manner of murder and finally we learn of this “consuming his manhood.” Originally here, what is meant is the seed or sperm was swallowed up by Kumarbi and planted in his stomach. Next, we learn that this was to create a storm god which Kumarbi is to vomit back up. The “vomiting” is a common metaphor which reveals the mushroom mythos as the A. muscaria is prone to make one vomit even with a very little amount. This is also related in Jonah and the whale. The manhood being swallowed is actually the mushroom. Returning to the story now: "Rejoice not over thine inside! In thine inside I have planted a heavy burden. Firstly, I have impregnated thee with the noble Storm-god.” After seven (7) months of what is described as “pregnancy.” After the birth of the storm god, Anu plots, along with the storm god, to destroy Kumarbi, and the storm god prepares for battle. Now this part of the story closely resembles the story of Marduk who kills his mother Tiamat and takes over the kingship in heaven. In another Hittite myth, the Song of Ullikummi, a very similar story is told but this time the storm god is the one who is risen against by a child of Kumarbi. (30) Symbols and Mythology of the Mother Goddess, p. 114-15; http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Anat (31) Cult of the Mother Goddess, p. 77 (32) The Hebrew Goddess, p. 61 (33) Cult of the Mother Goddess, p. 78; A. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C., Oxford, 1923, pp. 65ff; Mercer, Egyptian Religion, vol. iii, New York, 1935, pp. 198ff; W.C. Graham and H.G. May, Culture and Conscience. Chicago, 1936, pp. 90, 166, 283 (34) Judges 1:33; cf. Joshua 19:38 (35) The Hebrew Goddess, p. 62 (36) Borghouts, J. F. 1978. Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts. Leiden: E. J. Brill, p. 24 (37) The Hebrew Goddess, p. 62; Langdon, Semitic, p. 30; ANET 15, 136, 137, 139, 140, 142, 146, 151-53, 249, 250, 254; Gordon, in Kramer (ed), Mythologies of the Ancient World, 1961, pp. 187, 197-99; Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, pp. 75, 85, 197 (38) ibid, p. 119-120; Cf. Hans G. Guterbach, "Hittite Mythology", in Kramer, Mythologies of the Ancient World, p. 155 |