The Palace of Baal — Anath's Battle and the Building of the House
This is the second episode of the Baal Cycle, preserved on tablets KTU 1.3 and 1.4. After Baal's victory over Yamm (the Sea), he remains without a palace among the gods — a homeless king. The narrative moves through three arcs: the Maiden Anath's terrible slaughter of warriors, Baal's embassy to Anath and then to Asherah of the Sea, and finally the building of Baal's palace on Mount Saphon by the craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis.
The tablets are better preserved here than in the Yamm episode, though significant damage remains. The most striking passage — Anath wading through blood in her great hall — is among the most vivid scenes in all ancient literature. The palace narrative culminates in a theological question: should Baal's house have a window? The window is an opening to the world below — and through it, Death will eventually find him.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Ugaritic cuneiform alphabetic script by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
Baal's Feast
After his victory over Yamm, Baal prepares a banquet. But something is wrong — the feast is tainted, an abomination. Baal rises in the midst of the divine assembly and spits.
[...] Baal prepared a banquet,
He set out food and drink.
Mighty Baal,
Rider of the Clouds —
He took his stand and cried defiance,
He stood upright and spat
In the midst of the assembly of the gods:
"Abomination has been set on my table,
Filth is in the cup I drink.
Two kinds of feast Baal hates,
Three the Rider of the Clouds:
A feast of shame,
A feast of disgrace,
And a feast of handmaids' lewdness.
For in this there is flagrant shame,
And in this there is handmaids' lewdness."
After this, Mighty Baal departed.
The Maiden Anath departed too.
Anath's Slaughter
The Maiden Anath, Baal's sister and champion — the virgin warrior goddess — locks the doors of her great hall and goes to war against unnamed enemies. What follows is the most violent passage in Canaanite literature. She fights until the blood is at her knees, until heads roll at her feet like balls, until hands fly around her like locusts. And then, satisfied, she washes, and the dew of heaven falls.
The Maiden Anath locked the doors of her palace
And met the lads at the foot of the mountain.
And look — Anath fought in the valley,
She battled between the two towns.
She struck the people of the coast,
She destroyed the people of the sunrise.
Under her — heads like balls,
Above her — hands like locusts,
Like heaps of grasshoppers, the hands of warriors.
She fastened heads to her back,
She tied hands to her belt.
She plunged knee-deep in the blood of soldiers,
Up to her thighs in the gore of warriors.
With a staff she drove out the old men,
With the string of her bow, the townspeople.
And look — Anath reached her palace,
The goddess arrived at her great hall.
But she was not satisfied with her fighting in the valley,
Her battling between the two towns.
She arranged chairs for the warriors,
She arranged tables for the soldiers,
Footstools for the heroes.
Hard she fought and looked about,
Anath battled and surveyed.
Her liver swelled with laughter,
Her heart filled with joy,
The liver of Anath with triumph.
She plunged knee-deep in the blood of soldiers,
Up to her thighs in the gore of warriors —
Until she was satisfied with her fighting in the house,
Her battling between the tables.
The blood of soldiers was wiped from the house,
Oil of peace was poured from a bowl.
The Maiden Anath washed her hands,
The Sister-in-Law of Peoples washed her fingers.
She washed the blood of soldiers from her hands,
The gore of warriors from her fingers.
She arranged chairs back to chairs,
Tables back to tables,
Footstools back to footstools.
She drew water and washed —
Dew of heaven,
Oil of earth,
Rain of the Rider of the Clouds.
Dew the heavens poured upon her,
Rain the stars poured upon her.
Baal Sends Word to Anath
Baal, from his mountain Saphon, sends his messengers Gapn and Ugar to Anath. He tells her to come quickly — he has a secret matter to reveal. A word shared between the stone and the whisper, between the heavens and the deep. It is the word of the lightning.
And Mighty Baal spoke:
"Go, Gapn, and go, Ugar.
[...] darkness [...] I have banished [...]
Set your faces toward the Maiden Anath,
And at the feet of Anath bow and fall,
Prostrate yourselves, do her honour.
And say to the Maiden Anath,
Declare to the Sister-in-Law of Peoples:
'The message of Mighty Baal,
The word of the Mightiest of Heroes:
Set war in the earth,
Place love in the ground,
Pour peace into the heart of the earth,
Tenderness into the heart of the fields.
[Hasten!] Hurry! Rush!
To me let your feet run,
To me let your legs hasten.
For I have a word I would say to you,
A matter I would tell you:
The word of the tree and the whisper of the stone,
The murmur of the heavens to the earth,
Of the deep to the stars.
A lightning bolt the heavens do not know,
A word that people do not know,
That the multitudes of the earth do not understand.
Come, and I will reveal it —
In the midst of my mountain, the Divine Saphon,
In the holy place, the mountain of my inheritance,
In the beautiful place, the hill of my might.'"
Anath's Reaction
Anath sees Baal's messengers approaching and panics — she thinks something has happened to him. Has an enemy risen? Has someone challenged the one who defeated Yamm?
When Anath saw the two gods,
Her feet stumbled,
Her back cracked behind her,
Her face broke out in sweat above her.
The joints of her loins shook,
The muscles of her back went weak.
She raised her voice and cried:
"Why have Gapn and Ugar come?
What enemy has risen against Baal,
What foe against the Rider of the Clouds?
Did I not destroy Yamm, the Beloved of El?
Did I not finish Nahar, the Great God?
Did I not bind Tunnanu and shut him up?
I destroyed the Twisting Serpent,
The Tyrant with Seven Heads.
I destroyed Arish, the Darling of the Gods,
I cut off Atik, the Calf of El,
I destroyed Ishat, the Bitch of the Gods,
I finished Zabib, the Daughter of El.
I fought and took the gold —
He who drove out Baal from the heights of Saphon,
Who struck his ear like a bird,
Who chased him from his royal throne,
From the resting place, the seat of his dominion.
What enemy has risen against Baal,
What foe against the Rider of the Clouds?"
The lads answered, they replied:
"No enemy has risen against Baal,
No foe against the Rider of the Clouds.
The message of Mighty Baal,
The word of the Mightiest of Heroes:
Set war in the earth,
Place love in the ground,
Pour peace into the heart of the earth,
Tenderness into the heart of the fields.
[Hasten!] Hurry! Rush! [...]
For I have a word I would say to you [...]
A lightning bolt the heavens do not know [...]
Come, and I will reveal it —
In the midst of my mountain, the Divine Saphon,
In the holy place, the mountain of my inheritance."
Anath Goes to Baal
Anath sets out toward Mount Saphon. Baal sees her coming and prepares a feast. When she arrives, Baal makes his plea: he has no house. Every other god has a palace. He is king — but he has no dwelling.
Then the Maiden Anath set her face
Toward Mighty Baal,
Toward the heights of Saphon,
A thousand fields, ten thousand acres at each stride.
Baal saw his sister coming,
The advance of his father's daughter.
He sent the women away from his presence.
He set an ox before her,
A fatling directly in front of her.
She drew water and washed —
Dew of heaven,
Oil of earth.
[Several lines damaged.]
She raised her voice and cried:
[...] "I bring you good news, Baal!
Baal's Plea
Baal has defeated Yamm. He is king. But he has no palace — no house like the other gods. He laments this to Anath and asks her to intercede with El on his behalf, through Asherah.
[...] And Mighty Baal spoke:
"No house have I like the gods,
No court like the sons of Asherah.
The dwelling of El is the shelter of his son,
The dwelling of Lady Asherah of the Sea
Is the dwelling of the perfect brides —
The dwelling of Padriya, daughter of Light,
The shelter of Talliya, daughter of Rain,
The dwelling of Arsiya, daughter of the Wide World.
And another thing I say to you:
Pay homage to Lady Asherah of the Sea,
Do obeisance to the Mother of the Gods —
So she will ask El to give me a house."
Asherah Prepares for El
Baal and Anath go to Lady Asherah of the Sea. The craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis is summoned to forge a magnificent tribute for El — silver and gold worked into a gorgeous dais, throne, table, and offering bowls. Asherah takes this tribute to El at the Source of the Two Rivers.
Kothar went up to the bellows,
In Khasis' hands were the tongs.
He melted silver,
He beat out gold,
He melted silver by thousands of shekels,
Gold by the ten-thousands.
He made a gorgeous dais,
A gorgeous dais cast in silver,
Plated with a sheen of gold;
A gorgeous throne resting above it,
A gorgeous footstool spread with a mat;
A gorgeous couch, a [...]
He poured gold over it;
A gorgeous table, filled
With all manner of creatures from the depths of the earth;
Gorgeous bowls shaped like beasts of Amurru,
Like the wild animals of the land of Yam'an,
Where the wild oxen number in the myriads.
Asherah Before El
Lady Asherah of the Sea travels to El at the Source of the Two Rivers, at the meeting place of the Two Deeps. She presents her case: Baal is king now. He has defeated the Sea. He needs a house. El, after some hesitation, agrees. Let a house be built for Baal like the other gods.
From afar, El saw her.
He parted his jaws and laughed,
He put his feet on the footstool,
He wiggled his toes with delight.
He raised his voice and cried:
"Why has Lady Asherah of the Sea come?
Why has the Mother of the Gods arrived?
Are you hungry? Then eat.
Are you thirsty? Then drink.
Eat and drink!
Eat bread from the tables,
Drink wine from the goblets,
From a golden cup, the blood of the vine.
If the love of El the King excites you,
The affection of the Bull arouses you [...]"
Lady Asherah of the Sea replied:
"Your decree, O El, is wise.
Your wisdom is eternal.
A life of good fortune is your decree.
Our king is Mighty Baal,
Our judge — there is none above him.
All of us bear his chalice,
All of us bear his cup.
Groaning, he cries to Bull El, his father,
To El the King who established him:
He cries to Asherah and her sons,
To the goddess and the band of her kindred:
'Look — no house has Baal like the gods,
No court like the sons of Asherah.
The dwelling of El is the shelter of his son [...]'"
And the Kindly One, El the Compassionate, replied:
"Am I a servant, an attendant of Asherah?
Am I a servant, who holds the trowel?
If Asherah is a handmaid who makes the bricks,
Then let a house be built for Baal like the gods,
A court like the sons of Asherah."
Lady Asherah of the Sea replied:
"Great you are, El, and truly wise!
The grey of your beard instructs you,
[...] to your breast.
Now — Baal will begin his rainy season,
The season of channels and torrents.
He will sound his voice in the clouds,
Flash his lightning to the earth.
A house of cedar — let him complete it,
Or a house of bricks — let him raise it.
Tell Mighty Baal:
'Call a caravan into your house,
Wares into the midst of your palace.
The mountains will bring you much silver,
The hills the choicest gold,
And build a house of silver and gold,
A house of purest lapis lazuli.'"
The Palace Is Built
Baal summons Kothar-wa-Khasis to build the palace. Cedar wood from Lebanon and Sirion. Baal sets fire to the house — the fire burns for six days, and on the seventh the silver has melted into plates, the gold into bricks. The palace is complete. Baal rejoices.
Mighty Baal rejoiced.
He called a caravan into his house,
Wares into the midst of his palace.
The mountains brought him much silver,
The hills the choicest gold.
He sent word to Kothar-wa-Khasis.
[The message repeated in full, as is the Ugaritic convention.]
And Kothar-wa-Khasis replied:
"Listen, Mighty Baal:
Hear my word, Rider of the Clouds.
I will put a window in the house,
A casement in the midst of the palace."
But Mighty Baal replied:
"Do not put a window in the house,
A casement in the midst of the palace.
[Let not] Padriya, daughter of Light, [be seen],
Or Talliya, daughter of Rain [...]"
Kothar-wa-Khasis replied:
"You will return, Baal, to my word."
[...]
The house of Baal was built.
The cedars of Lebanon were brought,
The cedars of Sirion.
He set fire to the house,
He set flame to the palace.
One day, two days — fire fed on the house,
Flame on the palace.
Three days, four days — fire fed on the house,
Flame on the palace.
Five days, six days — fire fed on the house,
Flame on the palace.
Then on the seventh day,
The fire left the house,
The flame left the palace.
The silver had turned to plates,
The gold had turned to bricks.
Mighty Baal rejoiced:
"I have built my house of silver,
My palace of gold."
The Window
Baal at last agrees to the window. He opens a rift in the clouds and sounds his voice — thunder. The earth shakes. His enemies flee. Baal is enthroned. But the window is also an opening. Through it, Mot — Death — will find him.
Baal prepared his house,
Haddu prepared his palace.
He slaughtered oxen and sheep,
He felled bulls
And fatling rams,
Yearling calves,
Lambs and kids in multitude.
He called his brothers into his house,
His kindred into his palace.
He called the seventy sons of Asherah.
He provided the gods with rams,
He provided the gods with ewes,
He provided the gods with oxen,
He provided the gods with cows,
He provided the gods with thrones,
He provided the gods with chairs,
He provided the gods with jars of wine,
He provided the goddesses with jugs of wine.
Until the gods had eaten and drunk their fill [...]
Baal went up to the heights,
The son of Dagon to the summit.
Baal sounded his voice in the clouds,
He flashed his lightning to the earth.
The earth shook, the mountains quaked,
The ancient [...] trembled [...]
The enemies of Baal seized the forests,
The haters of Haddu the flanks of the mountain.
And Mighty Baal spoke:
"Enemies of Baal, why do you tremble?
Why do you tremble, you who would strike the Valiant One?"
Baal's eye guided his hand.
A cedar was struck by his right hand.
Then Mighty Baal spoke:
"Kothar, you will return to my word.
Put a window in the house,
A casement in the midst of the palace."
Kothar-wa-Khasis laughed.
He raised his voice and cried:
"Did I not say to you, Mighty Baal —
'You will return, Baal, to my word'?"
He put a window in the house,
A casement in the midst of the palace.
Baal opened a rift in the clouds.
Baal sounded his holy voice,
Baal thundered from his lips,
His holy voice [shook] the earth.
The mountains quaked,
The ancient [peaks] trembled.
The enemies of Baal fled to the forests,
The haters of Haddu to the mountains.
And Mighty Baal spoke:
"Enemies of Baal, why do you tremble?
Why do you tremble, you who would strike [...]?"
Baal was enthroned in his house.
"No other king or non-king
Shall set dominion over the earth.
I will send no tribute to the Son of El, Mot,
No homage to the Beloved of El, the Hero.
Let Mot call out from his throat,
Let the Beloved brood in his heart.
For I alone am the one who will reign over the gods,
Who will fatten gods and people,
Who will satisfy the multitudes of the earth."
Colophon
The second episode of the Baal Cycle — the palace narrative — is preserved on tablets KTU 1.3 and 1.4 (also designated CTA 3–4, UT 'nt and 51). These are the best-preserved tablets of the cycle. The narrative moves from Anath's ecstatic violence, through the divine politics of intercession, to the great building and consecration of Baal's house on Mount Saphon (modern Jebel al-Aqra, on the Syrian-Turkish border, visible from the ruins of Ugarit).
The theological heart is the window. Kothar insists Baal needs one; Baal refuses; Baal relents. The window is the crack in the fortress — the opening through which Death will enter. In the final speech, Baal boasts that he will send no tribute to Mot. This is the hubris before the fall. The next episode answers it.
Good Works Translation from the Ugaritic cuneiform alphabetic script by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Translated from the public-domain transliteration of the tablets as established in the KTU (Keilalphabetische Texte aus Ugarit) corpus. Existing translations by Ginsberg (1969), Smith and Pitard (2009), Wyatt (2002), and Parker (1997) were consulted for verification of readings at damaged passages.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: Ugaritic Transliteration (KTU 1.3 II — Anath's Slaughter)
Ugaritic cuneiform alphabetic text, transliterated into Latin script following the standard conventions of the KTU corpus. Word dividers in the original cuneiform are represented by periods. Lacunae are marked with [...]. This is the best-preserved section of Anath's battle — KTU 1.3 II.
[...] whn . 'nt . tmtḫṣn . bʿmq
tṯtql . bn . qrytm
tmḫṣ . lỉm . ḥpym
tṯmṣ . l'im . šmm
tḥtpn . r'išm . kṯr
ṯšr . 'l . 'nh . kpdm
tḫtb . kp km . 'arbm
kp . mhr . km . gzrm
ri'šm . tḥthn . tḥt-h
kpm . t'ṣrn . b-ḫgr-h
tk'in . brk . bdm . ṣmdm
'nk . bm'at . mhr
'ap . 'nt . tb . lbht-h
tštql . 'ilht . lhkl-h
wl . tšb' . tmtḫṣn . b'mq
tṯtql . bn . qrytm
tḫṭb . ks'at . l'alynm
ṯlḥnt . lṣb'im
hdm . l'ǧzrm
m'id . tmtḫṣ . wtʿn
tšytql . wtdy
ymlu . kbdh . bṣḥq
lb . 'nt . šmḫt
kbd . 'nt . tnṣr
tk'in . brk . bdm . ṣmdm
'nk . bm'at . mhr
'ady . tšb' . tmtḫṣn . bbht
tšytql . bn . ṯlḥnt
ym'ṣi . dm . ṣmdm . bbht
tšpk . šlm . mn . kpm
tṭhṣ . 'nt . ydh
btlt . 'nt . 'uṣb'th-h
tṭhṣ . dm . ṣmdm . byd-h
m'at . mhr . b'uṣb'th-h
Source Text: Ugaritic Transliteration (KTU 1.4 V–VII — The Palace and the Window)
The building of Baal's palace and the window debate. KTU 1.4 V–VII — the theological climax of the palace narrative.
[...] ybn . bt . lb'l . km . 'ilm
wḥẓr . kbn . 'aṯrt
'arzm . dlbnm . ybl
šrynm . 'adrm
yšt . 'išt . bbhtm
nblt . bhklm
hn . ym . wṯn . t'ikl . 'išt . bhtm
ṯlṯ . rb' . ym . t'ikl . 'išt . bhtm
ḫmš . ṯdṯ . ym . t'ikl . 'išt . bhtm
mk . bšb' . ymm
tphn . 'išt . bhtm
nhlt . bhklm
thpk . ksp . lrqm
ḫrṣ . thpk . llbnt
yšmḫ . 'al'iyn . b'l
bty . bnyt . ksp
hkly . ḥrṣ
[...]
ytb . 'al'iyn . b'l
mtk . mlk . la . mlk
drkth . la . drkth
'arṣ
'al . 'ašlḥ . bn . 'il . mt
'udd . ydd . 'il . ǧzr
yq'ar . mt . bnpšh
ydd . byrtm . hh
k . 'ank . 'amlk . l'ilm
ydšn . 'ilm . wanšm
ydšb' . hmlt . 'arṣ
Source Colophon
The Ugaritic cuneiform alphabetic text is transliterated from clay tablets discovered at Ras Shamra, Syria, during the French archaeological excavations of 1929–1933. The tablets are held in the collections of the Louvre Museum (Paris) and the National Museum of Damascus. The transliteration follows readings established through over nine decades of Ugaritic scholarship, beginning with Charles Virolleaud's first publications in the journal Syria (1929–1932) and refined through the work of Cyrus Gordon (Ugaritic Textbook, 1965), Manfried Dietrich, Oswald Loretz, and Joaquín Sanmartín (Die keilalphabetischen Texte aus Ugarit, 1976; 3rd ed. 2013), and numerous other scholars. The ancient text, composed circa 1400–1200 BCE, is in the public domain.
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