Kirta- Canaanite HeroHero"Servant of El"
Also known as: Keret and Krt
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
Every catastrophe that could befall a king befell Kirta. Plague took his family, grief emptied his house, and he sat alone, the last of his line. El himself descended in a dream to tell him what to do next: raise an army, march to Udum, and win the bride who would give him sons again.
Mythology & Lore
The Bereaved King
Kirta's entire family was dead: wife, children, brothers, taken by plague and war and disaster. He sat alone, weeping, the sole survivor of a royal line that should have continued into the future. Without heirs, his kingdom would end with him.
He wept himself to sleep, and in his dreams the god El appeared. The father of the gods, moved by Kirta's suffering, gave him detailed instructions: purify yourself, make offerings, raise an army, and march to the kingdom of Udum, where King Pabel's daughter Hurriya lives. Besiege Udum until Pabel offers his daughter in marriage.
The Campaign for Hurriya
Kirta gathered a massive army and marched to Udum. Along the way, he passed a shrine of Athirat and vowed to make extravagant offerings if his quest succeeded. After besieging Udum for seven days, King Pabel capitulated, offering silver, gold, and horses. But Kirta refused all of it. He wanted only Hurriya, who would give him sons and daughters to rebuild his dynasty. Pabel agreed, and Kirta returned home with his new queen.
The Forgotten Vow
Kirta never delivered his promised offerings to Athirat. The goddess responded with a curse: Kirta fell mortally ill. As the king sickened, the land sickened with him. Crops withered. Rains ceased.
When no remedy worked, El himself intervened. He asked who among the gods would heal Kirta, but none volunteered. So El fashioned a healing being, Sha'taqat, from clay and sent her to drive the illness from the king's body. She entered him and the sickness left. Kirta rose, and the land revived.
The Rebellious Son
In a fragmentary portion of the text, Kirta's son Yassib confronts his father. He argues that the king's illness has rendered him unfit to rule: he no longer judges the widow and the orphan, no longer protects the weak, no longer provides for the people. Kirta's response is not concession but fury. He curses Yassib, invoking Horon to break his skull.