Editing Baal (section)

{{Short description|Semitic title often used in reference to deities}}
{{other uses|Baal (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Canaanite
| name = Baal
| image = Baal Ugarit Louvre AO17329.jpg
| caption = Bronze figurine of a Baal, 14th–12th century BC, found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) near the Phoenician coast. [[Musée du Louvre]].
| deity_of = God of [[fertility]], [[weather]], [[rain]], [[wind]], [[lightning]], [[seasons]], [[war]], [[sailors]]
| parents = {{plainlist|
*[[Dagan (god)|Dagan]] and [[Shalash]] (in Syria)
*[[El (deity)|El]] and [[Athirat]] (in some Ugaritic texts)}}
| siblings = [[Hebat]] (in Syrian tradition), [[Anat]]
| offspring = [[Pidray]], [[Tallay]], [[Arsay]]<ref>S. A. Wiggins, ''[https://www.academia.edu/1307039/Pidray_Tallay_and_Arsay_in_the_Baal_Cycle Pidray, Tallay and Arsay in the Baal Cycle]'', ''Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages'' 2(29), 2003, p. 86-93</ref>
| region = {{plainlist|
*[[Phoenicia]]
*[[Ancient Syria]], especially [[Halab]]
*Near, around and at [[Ugarit]]
*[[Canaan]]
*[[North Africa]]
*[[Middle Kingdom of Egypt]]}}
| symbol = [[Bull]], [[Sheep|ram]], thunderbolt
| consorts = possibly [[Anat]] and/or [[Athtart]]<ref>M. Smith, ''[https://www.academia.edu/12709064/_Athtart_in_Late_Bronze_Age_Syrian_Texts ‘Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts]'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite'', 2014, p. 48-49; 60-61</ref><ref>T. J. Lewis, ''[https://www.academia.edu/21871788/_%CA%BFAthtartus_Incantations_and_the_Use_of_Divine_Names_as_Weapons_Journal_of_Near_Eastern_Studies_71_2011_207_227 ʿAthtartu’s Incantations and the Use of Divine Names as Weapons]'', ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies'' 71, 2011, p. 208</ref>
| Greek_equivalent = [[Zeus]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity |title=Baal (ancient deity) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=29 March 2024 |edition=online}}</ref>
| equivalent1_type = Mesopotamian
| equivalent1 = [[Hadad]]
| equivalent2_type = Hurrian
| equivalent2 = [[Teshub]]
| equivalent3_type = Egyptian
| equivalent3 = [[Set (god)|Set]] (due to being a foreign god in [[Egypt]], since Set was the god of foreigners – otherwise [[Baal Zephon]] equivalent with Hadad who is analogous to Ba’al, was also equated with [[Horus]]){{sfn|Kramer|1984|p=266}}
}}

{{Middle Eastern deities}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}

'''Baal''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|.|əl|,_|ˈ|b|ɑː|.|əl}}),<ref name="oed">{{cite OED|Baal |access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref>{{efn|The [[American English|American pronunciation]] is usually the same<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Baal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226003932/https://www.lexico.com/definition/baal |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-12-26 |title=Baal |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref name=mwo/> but some speakers prefer variants closer to the original sound, such as {{IPAc-en|b|ɑː|ˈ|ɑː|l}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɑː|l}}.<ref name=mwo>{{cite Merriam-Webster|Baal |access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Webb's Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IrrtAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT36 |title=Baal |last=Webb|first=Steven K.}}</ref>}} or '''Baʻal''',{{efn|{{langx|uga|{{linktext|𐎁𐎓𐎍}}|baʿlu}};{{sfnp|De Moor & al.|1987|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fu_Y5qnoCpAC&pg=PA1 1]}} {{langx|phn|{{linktext|𐤁𐤏𐤋}}|baʿl}};<!--right-to-left--> {{langx|hbo|{{linktext|בעל}}|baʿal}}, {{IPA|he|baʕal|pron}}.}} was a title and [[honorific]] meaning 'owner' or '[[lord]]' in the [[Northwest Semitic languages]] spoken in the [[Levant]] during [[Ancient Near East|antiquity]]. From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods.{{sfnp|Smith|1878|pp=175–176}} Scholars previously associated the [[theonym]] with [[solar god|solar cults]] and with a variety of unrelated [[patron deity|patron deities]], but inscriptions have shown that the name Ba'al was particularly associated with the [[storm god|storm]] and [[fertility god]] [[Hadad]] and his local manifestations.{{sfnp|''AYBD''|1992|loc="Baal (Deity)"}}

The [[Hebrew Bible]] includes use of the term in reference to various [[Levantine mythology|Levantine deities]], often with application towards [[Hadad]], who was decried as a [[false god]]. That use was taken over into [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]], sometimes under the form [[Beelzebub]] in [[demonology]].

The [[Ugarit]]ic god Baal (𐎁𐎓𐎍) is the protagonist of one of the lengthiest surviving epics from the [[ancient Near East]], the [[Baal Cycle]].