Kathirat- Canaanite GroupCollective"Swallow Goddesses"
Also known as: Kosharoth, Kotharat, and Kṯrt
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Symbols
Description
They came to Danel's house like swallows returning in spring — the Kathirat, the skillful ones, divine midwives who stayed seven days to ensure the righteous king's wife would conceive. They had sung at the wedding of the moon god; now they brought that same blessing of fertility to a mortal household.
Mythology & Lore
Singers at the Divine Wedding
The Kathirat appear in the wedding hymn of the moon god Yarikh and Nikkal, goddess of orchards. They served as divine attendants, singing the marriage blessing that ensured the union's fertility. The hymn calls them "swallow goddesses" (snnt) and "daughters of the crescent moon." Their name derives from the Semitic root meaning "skillful" or "capable." They arrived together, sang together, and departed together. No individual names survive.
Seven Days in Danel's House
In the Tale of Aqhat, the righteous king Danel sought a son to continue his line. After El granted the wish, the Kathirat were summoned to Danel's household. They stayed for seven days, the ritual period necessary for conception to occur. The same goddesses who sanctified the wedding of Yarikh and Nikkal now brought their blessing into a mortal home. When the seven days were complete, they departed. Aqhat was conceived.