El

Aged supreme creator, head of the divine council; epithets 'Bull' (ṯr) and 'Father of Years' (ʾab šnm). Hellenized as Elus/Cronus by Philo of Byblos.

Children

• Anat
• Kirta
• Mot
• Shahar
• Shalim
• Shapshu
• Yam

Domains

• creation
• kingship
• wisdom decree

Powers

• Pronounce binding decrees that the gods must obey
• Father the gods and mortals as progenitor
• Bless the childless with offspring in a dream

Epithets

• ṯr ʾil ugaritic · ṯôru ʾilu · literaryBull El; the patriarchal creator as the mighty bullBaal Cycle, KTU 1.4 IV.47; Kirta epic (primary)
• ʾab šnm ugaritic · ʾabu šanima · literaryFather of Years; the aged head of the divine councilBaal Cycle, KTU 1.4 IV.24; 1.3 V.8 (primary)
• bny bnwt ugaritic · bāniyu binwāti · literaryCreator of creatures; El the maker and father of all that is madeBaal Cycle, KTU 1.4 II.11; 1.6 III.5 (primary)
• lṭpn ʾil dpʾid ugaritic · laṭpānu ʾilu dū-paʾidi · literaryThe Kindly One, El the Compassionate; the merciful patriarch-godBaal Cycle, KTU 1.4 II.10; 1.6 III.10 (recurrent epithet) (primary)

Relations

• interpretatio: CronusReciprocal of greek_hesiod_cronus.interpretatio — Philo systematically renders El as Kronos. Preserves the aged father-of-gods displaced from active rule; breaks on El's continued benevolent presidency — Kronos is overthrown and bound, El is not.Philo of Byblos apud Eusebius, Praep. ev. 1.10.16, 1.10.29 (Elos who is Kronos) (primary)
• equated with: KumarbiReciprocal of hurrian_kumarbi.equated-with — Ugarit's Hurrian offering-lists set Kumarbi in El's position as aged father of the gods. Preserves the deposed/passive elder-god slot; El is benign, Kumarbi actively engenders monsters to regain rule.G. Wilhelm, The Hurrians (1989), on the Ugarit Hurrian pantheon lists (secondary)
• spouse: AthiratReciprocal of canaanite_athirat.spouse — Mother-goddess and consort of El, 'Lady Athirat of the Sea'; her offspring (Yam, Mot, Anat et al.) already record El as parent.Ugaritic Baal Cycle, KTU 1.4 (Athirat as consort of El, 'creatress of the gods', petitions El for Baal's palace) (primary)

Sources

• existence: Ugaritic Baal Cycle (KTU 1.1–1.6) (primary); Kirta Epic (KTU 1.14–1.16) (primary); Philo of Byblos / Sanchuniathon (Elus-Cronus), via Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica I.10 (primary)