Levantine Paganism

A mighty host raised Milqart of Sidon against the kings of the nations, and all the face of the earth was subdued before them.

From beyond Kittim was raised an army of seafaring kings, and from as far as Kaphtor came a host of the sons of Kittim and Javan.  And the name of these kings were Ekishtur king of Kittim, Tiyuk king of Sillama, Atagala of Pappa, Pilagora of Kuri, Atmetu of Teba, Ahish of Aroga, and Itandar king of Mukini.  These landed on the coast in the region of Sidon, beseeching Ashtart goddess of the city, saying: We will see Milqart, a hero of renown in these parts.

But Ashtart, suspecting trickery on behalf of these strangers at her gate, spoke unto them from the midst of the walls, saying, with a voice like a mighty blast: Go, and get thee hence! for I never knew thee among the sons of Sidon, nor yet among even her servants.

And at this the kings of the west were troubled, and trembled within themselves, fearing that Milqart would destroy them from the face of the earth.  And so they took silver and gold, the wealth of princes, and came in procession to the gates of the great city, saying: We come bearing gifts for Ashtart, and for Milqart the son of Ashtart, that they may bless us, and leave us to dwell in peace and prosperity in our lands which lie beyond the sea.

Upon hearing this, Ashtart commanded the men of the city, her servants, commanding them to go, and to open the gates, and to accept the tribute of the Kittimites and the Javanites.  And she herself was decked in splendid ornaments of gold, and supped from the vessels which the kings had brought to her sanctuary.  And she was greatly pleased with them, and blessed them openly and within her heart, and the kings departed thence for their own country.  But Milqart, upon his return from battle, arrived in wonder at the temple of his mother, saying: Woman, from whence cometh the great gifts of gold and of silver which deck thy courts and which furnish thy house with such splendour as I and my sons had never seen since we departed ere the week began?

And Ashtart answered him: I was much pleased with these gifts as tribute, brought into Sidon my city by the kings of the west from beyond the sea, from even as far as Kaphtor, where Kushor makes his dwelling.

And Milqart upon hearing this became vexed, saying: Woman, is it no longer known in Sidon to be wary of gifts given by the hands of the Javanites?  For behold, their hearts know nothing but craftiness and guile, even from the time of the earth’s division until the day when I shall take my seat in the throne of the west.  Nonetheless, for thy sake, lady, will I bless them and honour them, for I see that our treasuries are over-full because of them.

And from that day, the hosts of Milqart made a covenant with the children of Javan, to leave them in peace as they marched for war.  And with the great excess of gold they had been given they paid for arms and helmets and armour, and with shield and spear campaigned against the nations of the whole world.

And it came to pass that in the days when the Rephaim were on the earth, a great lamentation was heard in the valleys and plains that lie from Arvad as far as Gezer, from the land of the Horites to the north down to Jericho, and the roads that lie there about;

For the kings of the cities arose in rebellion, and they made war upon the elders of the Sidonians, coming into their towns with a mighty host of horses, and chariots, and a great many men, and slaying a great number of them, departed back into their walled cities with gold and silver looted from their houses.

And a cry went up to Milqart, lord of the people of Zur, who in that time was dwelling in the vales of the children of the Amorites.  And he was wroth with the cities of the nations who made war upon the children of Zur which dwelled in Sidon.  There were seven kings: Rib-Hadad, king of the Amorites; Ornan, king of the Jebusites; Sheshai, king of the Girgashites; Zimridda, king of Kadesh; Puduel, king of Hazor; Zurata, king of Megiddo; Abibaal, king of Shekhem. 

Now Milqart departed with his host from Sidon, and at the head of a small company met with Rib-Hadad, king of the children of Amor, on the road to Hazor.  And there he slew Rib-Hadad, and all his company, so that not one man of his mighty host remained alive.  This he did likewise to the armies of Ornan the Jebusite, and Sheshai the Girgashite, so that not one of them still lived by the end of the day.  And that night he rested, he and his loyal servants, for they had come across a land that was rich and well-watered, being like a garden of paradise.

And the next morning, as the sun arose on the eastern horizon, Milqart’s great army arose and smote the cities of the plains: Kadesh, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Shekhem, and much wealth that was stolen they carried back to Sidon.  The treasures they took back were so great that they were seven times richer than they had been that morning, and their sacks bulged and overflowed as they returned.

The people praised Milqart, and the elders of Sidon laid at his feet a great bounty of silver to be his reward.

This is the account of Ushu, the forefather of the Sidonians:

When Ushu and his brother Shamemrom came to the hills overlooking the Great Sea, they beheld a multitude of the first men, red-headed men and white-headed men.

And on beholding such a number, Ushu said: ‘Now the people are come to us, and would have us for leaders over them.’

But Shamemrom quarrelled with his brother, saying, ‘Can a tribe have two fathers, or a nation two chieftains?’  And he was much vexed, demanding that Ushu prove himself worthy before claiming his inheritance.

Therefore, Ushu contrived to have the elders of the people assemble, and to choose among them who they would have to rule over them.

And the elders of the red-headed men came first, and they elected Shamemrom by lots, and piled the stones inscribed with their choice at his feet.

And the elders of the white-headed men came last, and they too elected to have Shamemrom as their lord.

But the goddess Ashtart spoke with a whisper to Ushu, saying, ‘Take for yourself a “garment of heaven” of your brother’s, and when the red-headed men approach you, say unto them: I am Shamemrom.  And thus you shall lead them away by guile, to be your appointed share.’

And this Ushu did, arising with the dawn and leading forth the red-headed people clad in the garments of his brother Shamemrom, who upon seeing what his brother had done, vowed vengeance, declaring that never would Ushu find shelter among the tents of his people, for any of Ushu’s sons who set foot in his land would be driven out and slain.

Shamemrom dwelled in the plain of Sidon, and was the first to contrive huts from reeds and rushes, and he was a farmer, who tilled the land and planted grains.

These are the generations of the men of the Sidonians:

And when the sons of Fire and Flame searched the earth for a place to dwell, they settled their gaze upon the Land-by-the-Sea.

‘Here,’ they said, ‘we shall go down, and fix our habitation, and father a race of people to serve us and to worship us.’

And so down they went, upon the heights of the mountains down to the abyss of the Great Sea, and took for themselves wives freely from among the peoples.  And these wives each heavenly one shared amongst themselves, so that no man born of women then knew the name of his own father.

And the children of these women grew, until they reached great size and stature; and the height of each was such that normal men seemed as grasshoppers compared to them.

These giants took each a mountain as their dwelling, and to this day those mountains bear the names of their chieftains, being called Zapan, and Libnan, and Hermon, and Tabor.

Legendary Orders of Being Part I : Nephilim

Name means: ‘Giants’

The nephilim are a race of beings translated as giants, roughly equivalent to the Greek gigantes; a race of monstrous beings.

According to the annals from Tyre, the giants descend from the gods, and especially from the gods Light, Fire, & Flame.  They lived in primeval history, and mated with human women freely, so much so that in those days men born knew not the names of their fathers.  The twin patriarchs of the Tyrians, Ushu and Shamemrom, are sometimes said to descend from the heroic race of the giants.

We are told they were great warriors and hunters, of surpassing size and splendour, and that they dwelled in the mountains (as mountain spirits or local genii perhaps?).  Four mountains in particular are named for the primeval giants who were born on their heights and once dwelled in them: Zapan, Libnan, Hermon, and Tabor.

In later times, when most of their race was driven into extinction by humans, these beings of a former age were often identified as the builders of ancient ruins, the great size of such monuments appearing staggering to any normal human explanation.  The great walls and platforms of ancient temples and cities were attributed to the craftsmanship of the nephilim.

Divinities Part LXVII : Bes

Description:

Bes is an enigmatic god of Egyptian origin who proved popular across the ancient world.  His worship spread to people of the Levant and Syria, and they brought him westwards into their colonies across the Mediterranean.

He is considered to rule over life and its pleasures - dancing, drinking, music, comedy etc. and to banish those things which are unpleasant or negative - melancholy, demons, venemous animals etc.  Amulets depicting his face are worn to protect the bearer against disease and death.  He is depicted as a dwarf with a leonine face.