Aqhat- Canaanite HeroHero"Son of Danel"

The Long-Awaited Son

For years, the righteous judge Danel had no heir. He performed the proper rituals, made offerings, and prayed for a son to carry on his name and perform the sacred duties a son owes his father. Finally the gods took pity on him, and through divine intervention his wife conceived and bore a son: Aqhat.

Kothar-wa-Khasis, the craftsman god who forged weapons for Baal himself, created a magnificent bow and presented it to Danel as a gift. Danel gave it to his son. It was a weapon of divine craftsmanship, beautiful beyond mortal making, and Aqhat became a mighty hunter. But the bow drew the covetous gaze of Anat. She approached Aqhat with offers: silver and gold. He refused. She offered immortality. Still he refused.

A Mortal's Defiance

Aqhat told the goddess that all mortals must die, that death comes to all regardless. He would not trade his bow for the lie of immortality. Whatever his intent, Anat was enraged.

She complained to El, the father of gods, who refused to act against a mortal's choice. Taking matters into her own hands, Anat hired Yatpan, a mercenary, to kill Aqhat. Disguised as a hawk among hawks, Yatpan struck him down during a feast. But in the violence, the precious bow fell into the sea and was lost forever. She had murdered a man for a weapon she would never hold.

Mourning and Vengeance

When Danel learned of his son's death, the land withered. Crops failed. Vegetation died. The righteous father searched for his son's remains, eventually finding them in the belly of the eagle Samal. He buried what he could recover and cursed the three cities near where Aqhat died.

After seven years of mourning, the tale turns to Pugat, Aqhat's sister. She armed herself with a hidden dagger, disguised herself, and set out to avenge her brother by killing Yatpan. The tablets containing the ending are broken, leaving the resolution unknown.