Baal was a god of fertility and the earth in ancient cultures and was later exported to Egypt, where he was worshipped as the god of storms. The Semitic word Baal means lord or master, and the ancients believed that he was in charge of all nature and humans. He was considered superior to his father, El, the chief of the deities.
In ancient times, Canaan and Phoenicia were located in the area that now encompasses northern Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. There is archaeological evidence of animal sacrifices to the god, and even sacrifices of human infants.
In addition, as the sexual union of Baal and Anath (the goddess of love and war, and also Baal’s sister) or Asherah (his mother and lover) was believed to lead to fertility and a good harvest, there was a practice of public ritualistic prostitution.
A woman from the community represented Asherah or Anath, and a male priest usually represented Baal. He also made appearances in the Hebrew Bible.
Origin
Most of what is known about the deity comes from an archaeological find in 1929 at the site of the ancient city of Ugarit, in northern Syria. In Canaanite mythology, he represented life and fertility, and Mot was the god of death and sterility. The Canaanites believed that fertility came in seven-year cycles.
Baal fought a battle with Mot to determine whether there would be drought and famine or seven years of prosperous harvests. He also had to fight Yamm, the god of the sea, to win his position as the reigning king of the deities.
Family
Baal’s father was El, the first king of the gods; however, Baal was more powerful than his father. His mother Asherah was the chief female deity, and later she was also considered his lover. His sister—and another of his lovers—was Anath, the goddess of love and war.
Religious influence
According to the Old Testament, after the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, they arrived in the fruitful land of Canaan where the main deity was Baal. Before entering the Promised Land, the Hebrew people were warned not to worship the pagan gods of Canaan.
However, after wandering in the desert for all that time, they were not very sure that their god was the right choice since the Canaanites lived in the fertile land. Many divided their allegiance and decided to worship their god and Baal.
Their idol worship was punished when the Hebrew God sent a message through the prophet Elijah that it was he who controlled the rain. The Hebrew God then sent a drought that lasted more than three years.
Queen Jezebel of Phoenicia had 450 prophets of Baal as her court advisors. Elijah met 450 prophets at the base of Mount Carmel for the final decision on which god was in charge. All the prophets of this Egyptian god called for lightning as a sign from heaven, but nothing happened at all. When Elijah said a prayer to his God, light fell from the sky.
Modern Influence
There were plans to erect reproductions of the 50-foot arched entrance to the Temple of Baal in Times Square in New York City and Trafalgar Square in London during World Heritage Week in April 2016.
The original ancient temple in Palmyra, Syria, was destroyed by ISIS in 2015. ISIS members consider some of the ancient temples and treasures to be pre-Muslim idolatry, and they have been known to sell artifacts to finance their own cause.
Needless to say, there was a great deal of controversy surrounding the replicas, as they represented the site where ritual prostitution and human and animal sacrifices were carried out in honor of Baal.
The project was ultimately canceled in favor of a replica of the Triumphal Arch of Palmyra, which was in Trafalgar Square that week, as that arch has a less direct connection to ancient pagan rituals.
