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Kothar-wa-Khasis

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Also known as Kothar, Kotar

Kothar-wa-Khasis (), also known as Kothar or Hayyānu, was an Ugaritic god regarded as a divine artisan. He could variously play the roles of an architect, smith, musician or magician. Some scholars believe that this name represents two gods, Kothar and Khasis, combined into one.

Key facts

Deity.type
Ugaritic
Deity.name
Kothar-wa-Khasis
Deity.deity_of
Divine craftsman
Deity.cult_center
Ugarit
Deity.abodes
Memphis and Caphtor
Deity.equivalent1_type
Mesopotamian
Deity.equivalent1
Ea
Deity.equivalent2_type
Hurrian
Deity.equivalent2
Eyan
Deity.equivalent3_type
Egyptian
Deity.equivalent3
Keserty, possibly Ptah
Deity.equivalent4_type
Greek
Deity.equivalent4
Hephaestus

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
deity
Said to be same as
Hephaestus
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~22 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Names
  • Related terms
  • Ugaritic texts
  • Dwellings of Kothar
  • ''Baal Cycle''
  • Other myths
  • Egyptian reception
  • Phoenician and Punic sources
  • Disputed attestations
  • Baal-Malagê
  • Taautos
  • Hebrew Bible
  • See also
  • References
  • Bibliography

Kothar-wa-Khasis (), also known as Kothar or Hayyānu, was an Ugaritic god regarded as a divine artisan. He could variously play the roles of an architect, smith, musician or magician. Some scholars believe that this name represents two gods, Kothar and Khasis, combined into one.

He is well attested in ritual texts, and a number of theophoric names invoking him have been identified. He was believed to reside in Memphis and Caphtor, which might reflect the routes through which crafts and resources traveled in the late Bronze Age. He appears in various Ugaritic myths as well. In the Baal Cycle, he uses his skills on behalf of other deities. In the beginning, El enlists his help with building a temple for Yam. Later he helps Baal in his conflict with the sea god, providing him with weapons with which he ultimately triumphs. The weather god subsequently asks him for help with preparing gifts for Athirat, whose support he needs, and later with the construction of a palace of his own. He is also mentioned in the hymn to Shapash which closes this cycle of myths. In the Epic of Aqhat, he makes the bow belonging to the eponymous hero. There is some evidence that he was also introduced to Egypt, but his popularity there was limited. He was associated with the construction of temples. The name Keserty might have either referred to a god regarded as his counterpart or outright represent an Egyptian variant of his name. A connection between him and Ptah has also been suggested in past scholarship.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kothar-wa-Khasis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.