of a god; each one while living assumed the name Horus, the deity who avenged the death of Osiris. Of particular interest for biblical studies are the gods of Canaan because of the syncretism of Israelite religion with the Canaanite FERTILITY CULTS. Such cults were also common to Mesopotamia and Egypt, but they exerted their strongest influence on the Israelites in Canaan. The chief Canaanite deities were EL, the creator of the earth and controller of storms, and BAAL (both symbolized by the bull