Anat
Scholars trace the goddess Anat to the Amorite culture of Bronze Age upper Mesopotamia. Her earliest known forerunner is a deity named Hanat, attested in texts from Mari and worshiped in a city sharing her name located in Suhum. Wilfred G. Lambert argues that Anat should be identified with this goddess Hanat, though Jean-Marie Durand disputes this connection. The view that they are the same has been accepted by researchers including Gebhard J. Selz and Daniel Schwemer. Multiple etymologies of her name have been proposed without conclusive proof. One plausible theory links it to the Arabic word anwat meaning force or violence. Peggy L. Day notes that this proposal dovetails with the idea that Anat and Hanat are analogous figures. Older theories suggesting her name derived from a root meaning to make love are no longer considered credible. These earlier views relied on incorrect evaluations of her character as a fertility goddess associated with human sexuality.
In Ugarit, Anat appears as one of the main goddesses in the pantheon, regularly receiving offerings in texts written in both local Ugaritic language and Hurrian. She serves as a staunch ally of the weather god Baal in the Baal Cycle narrative poem preserved on tablets KTU 1.1, 6. When Yam, Baal's rival for kingship, sends messengers to the divine assembly, Anat and Ashtart prevent the weather god from harming them. Later she confronts a human army in a passage which remains poorly understood. After learning that Baal lacks a dwelling, she attempts to pressure El to grant permission for his palace but fails. She then assists him in convincing Athirat to act as a mediator. Following Baal's death at the hands of Mot, Anat mourns him and announces the news to El. In the final surviving fragment, she kills Mot, threshes his remains with a blade, winnows them with a sieve, burns them in fire, grinds them with a millstone, and scatters them for birds to eat. The Epic of Aqhat also features her when she demands a bow from the human hero Aqhat. Upon being rebuked, she orders a Sutean warrior named Yatipan to kill him.
Anat was introduced to Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, likely by the Hyksos who ruled the Nile Delta for approximately one century with Avaris as their capital. Richard H. Wilkinson cites the name of ruler Anat-her as evidence for this worship, though Christiane Zivie-Coche suggests foreign deities only became commonly worshiped in Egypt during the subsequent reign of the Eighteenth Dynasty. As of 2011, no material evidence existed for her presence before the reign of Ramesses II. The pharaoh referred to himself as the beloved of this goddess and called her his mother. His inscriptions generally assign warlike traits to her rather than motherly ones. A statue from his reign depicts Anat with her hand placed on his shoulder at a temple located in Tanis. He named one of his daughters Bint-Anat meaning daughter of Anat, his war hound Anat is strength, and his sword after the goddess. In visual arts, she was portrayed wearing the atef crown associated with Upper Egypt while wielding either a spear and shield or a fenestrated battle axe. She retained her role in the Egyptian pantheon through the first millennium BCE up to the period of Roman rule.
Four inscribed votive objects dedicated to Anat have been discovered in Idalion on Cyprus including a horse binder dated to the seventh century BCE and a spearhead dated to the fifth or early fourth century BCE. These artifacts suggest she retained her warlike nature in Phoenician religion. A bilingual Phoenician-Greek inscription known as the Anat-Athena bilingual has also been found in Larnakas tis Lapithou. The Greek version refers to Athena Soteria Nike instead of Anat due to shared characteristics as non-sexually active goddesses. Comparisons between Anat and Athena have been made by modern researchers such as Walter Burkert who highlighted similarities in iconography of martial deities excavated in Greece. The identification of the deity dA-na-ti ba-a-ti possibly read as Anat-Bayt'el in the treaty between Esarhaddon and king Baal of Tyre is considered implausible. Karel van der Toorn questions if the name has Phoenician origin at all since there are no other attestations from this city and nearby areas. He proposes it was derived from Aramaic instead.
The only certain references to Anat in the Hebrew Bible appear as theophoric names like Shamgar ben Anat in Judges 3:31 and place names such as Beth-Anath in Joshua 19:38. Two further possible examples include the toponym Anathoth in Jeremiah 1:1 and the homophonous name Anathoth in Nehemiah 10:20. Steve A. Wiggins concludes that Anat was only vestigially present in the Kingdom of Israel. Most researchers agree that the single verse mentioning Shamgar ben Anat represents a late addition likely inspired by better known feats attributed to Samson or soldiers of David. Nili Shupak suggests that ben Anat should be interpreted as a cognomen designating its bearer as a warrior from a troop dedicated to Anat due to her well-known character as a war deity. In Aramaic texts from the fifth century BCE Elephantine, two possible theonyms with Anat as an element have been identified as 'ntyhw and 'ntbyt'. However, in both cases the element 'nt might instead be a common noun meaning providence or sign rather than referring to the goddess herself.
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Common questions
Who is the earliest known forerunner of Anat in ancient Mesopotamian texts?
The earliest known forerunner of Anat is a deity named Hanat attested in texts from Mari and worshiped in a city sharing her name located in Suhum. Wilfred G. Lambert argues that Anat should be identified with this goddess Hanat though Jean-Marie Durand disputes this connection.
What specific actions does Anat perform after Baal dies at the hands of Mot in Ugaritic mythology?
Anat kills Mot threshes his remains with a blade winnows them with a sieve burns them in fire grinds them with a millstone and scatters them for birds to eat. She also mourns him and announces the news to El following his death.
When was Anat introduced to Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period and which ruler claimed her as his mother?
Anat was introduced to Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period likely by the Hyksos who ruled the Nile Delta for approximately one century with Avaris as their capital. The pharaoh Ramesses II referred to himself as the beloved of this goddess and called her his mother.
Where were four inscribed votive objects dedicated to Anat discovered on Cyprus and what do they indicate about her nature?
Four inscribed votive objects dedicated to Anat have been discovered in Idalion on Cyprus including a horse binder dated to the seventh century BCE and a spearhead dated to the fifth or early fourth century BCE. These artifacts suggest she retained her warlike nature in Phoenician religion.
How is Anat referenced in the Hebrew Bible and what conclusion does Steve A. Wiggins draw about her presence there?
The only certain references to Anat in the Hebrew Bible appear as theophoric names like Shamgar ben Anat in Judges 3:31 and place names such as Beth-Anath in Joshua 19:38. Steve A. Wiggins concludes that Anat was only vestigially present in the Kingdom of Israel.