Melqart

Tutelary 'King of the City' of Tyre; dying-and-rising god revived at the annual egersis, equated with Herakles, patron of colonies.

Domains

• kingship
• sea trade

Powers

• Die and be awakened annually at the spring egersis
• Found and protect Tyrian colonies overseas

Epithets

• mlk qrt
• bʿl ṣr

Relations

• spouse: Astarte
• interpretatio: Heracles

Sources

• Tyrian inscriptions; Josephus, Antiquities (egersis of Herakles)
• E. Lipiński, on the etymology milk-qart