Resheph
Canaanite · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Archer-god of plague, war, and the underworld; gatekeeper of the sun-goddess. Equated with Nergal in Ugaritic god-lists.
Domains
- plague
- war
- underworld
Powers
- Loose plague-arrows that strike down the people
- Keep the gate of the sun-goddess at sundown
- Loose plague-arrows that strike down the host
- Guard the warrior and the chariot in battle
Epithets
- 𐎗𐎌𐎔 𐎈𐎕 'Resheph of the Arrow' — plague-archer aspectUgaritic ritual texts; cf. KTU 1.82 (primary)
Relations
- equated with: ReshephUgaritic Rašpu and Phoenician-Cypriot Reshep are one plague-archer god in successive streams. Preserves arrows, fever, and gatekeeping of the sun; the Cypriot cult adds the Apollo identification.DDD (2nd ed. 1999), s.v. 'Resheph' (secondary)
- interpretatio: NergalThe Ugarit scribal list itself renders Resheph as Nergal. Preserves plague, war, and underworld lordship; Nergal's enthroned rule over the dead exceeds Resheph's gatekeeper role.Ugarit polyglot god-list (Ugaritica V): Rašap equated with Nergal (primary)
Sources
- existence: Kirta Epic (KTU 1.14) (primary); Ugaritic god-list KTU 1.118; ritual texts KTU 1.91, 1.105 (primary)