Baal’s Rise to Kingship (KTU 1.1–1.2)

The first story is about Baal’s struggle to gain kingship over all the gods. The sequence of events in this story is uncertain since the correct order of the columns in the first two tablets is debated. The basic story seems to be that the chief god, El, allows the sea god, Yamm, to challenge Baal for the kingship. With the aid of other deities, Baal is able to defeat Yamm and obtain the kingship. Since Baal and Yamm seem to be vying for the same kingship, Pardee surmises that the underlying conflict revolved around the question of “which of these two features of the earth [the sea or Mount Zaphon] was the appropriate place from which to exercise executive authority over the entire earth” (Pardee, “The Baʿlu Myth,” 242).

Using the traditional order of the columns of tablet 1 (II-III-IV-V, followed by Pardee’s translation and the text edition in KTU), the reasons behind the conflict between Baal and Yamm are unclear. Smith summarizes the arguments for preferring the opposite sequence, noting that it produces a more coherent narrative (V-IV-III-II, Smith, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, 20–21). In this alternative reconstruction, Baal had previously challenged El’s rule of the gods (KTU 1.1, IV, 23), so El takes revenge by naming Yamm as his successor (KTU 1.1, IV, 2–15) and ordering the craftsman god, Kothar-wa-Hasis, to build Yamm a palace to support his claim to power (KTU 1.1, III; 1.2 III, 6–11). While this construction has its own problems, it provides a plausible backstory for the conflict that breaks out after Yamm’s messengers enter El’s assembly of the gods to demand he hand Baal over to Yamm, and El agrees (KTU 1.2, I, 30–38). With the support of Kothar-wa-Hasis, who provides Baal with two weapons to strike Yamm, Baal attacks Yamm (KTU 1.2, IV). The first weapon is named “May-It-Drive-Out” ygrš (compare Hebrew גָּרַשׁ, garash), and, as commanded, it leaps from Baal’s hand and strikes Yamm in the chest, but Yamm is too strong to fall. Then Kothar makes the second weapon, naming it “May-It-Expel” (ʾaymr; emphatic particle plus verb mry). With this weapon, Baal hits Yamm in the forehead, knocking him unconscious. This allows Baal to dismember Yamm and disperse his body parts. Then Baal’s rule over the other deities is affirmed. The third tablet opens with Baal holding a feast on Mount Zaphon, perhaps in celebration of his victory over Yamm.