Canaanite Pantheon (Ugarit)Hero
Aqhat
Also known as Aqht
The long-awaited son of the righteous Danel, given a divine bow by the craftsman god, who refuses to give it to the goddess Anat even for immortality and is killed for it.
About Aqhat
A son granted by the gods
The Epic of Aqhat (KTU 1.17-1.19) opens with Danel, a just ruler who judges the cases of widows and orphans at the city gate, but who has no son. For seven days he makes offerings to the gods and sleeps in the sanctuary, until Baal takes pity and asks El to bless him. Danel's son Aqhat is born.
The bow
The craftsman god Kothar-wa-Khasis visits Danel's house carrying a bow and arrows, and the bow passes to Aqhat. At a feast the goddess Anat sees it and wants it. She offers silver and gold, then immortality: to live as long as Baal and count years with the gods. Aqhat refuses. He tells her that death comes to all men and he will die the death of all men, and adds that bows are weapons for warriors, not for women (paraphrase of KTU 1.17 VI).
Death and its consequences
Anat obtains El's permission for revenge and sends her henchman Yatpan, who, carried in the form of a bird among a flock of vultures, strikes Aqhat down while he eats. The bow is broken or lost in the attack. The land withers; Danel's daughter Pughat sees the signs of drought and mourning. Danel prays that Baal will break the wings of the vultures, searches their bodies, finds his son's remains in the mother of vultures, and buries them.
Unfinished
The poem ends with Pughat, armed beneath a woman's clothes, going to Yatpan's camp and serving him wine; the tablet breaks before her revenge. Whether Aqhat was restored to life is unknown.
On parentage: His mother is Danatiya (Dnty). Aqhat's birth follows Baal's intercession with El, but he is fully mortal, as he himself insists.
Key deeds
- Received the bow made by Kothar-wa-Khasis
- Refused Anat's offer of silver, gold, and immortality in exchange for the bow
- Declared that he would die the death of all men
Fate
Killed by Anat's henchman Yatpan, who struck him in the form of a bird of prey; his remains were recovered from the mother of vultures and buried by his father. His sister Pughat sets out to avenge him, but the text breaks off.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Epic of Aqhat, KTU 1.17 VI
Appears in
Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.
The Epic of Aqhat (KTU 1.17-1.19)
Danel's son, killed for refusing to give Anat his bow (KTU 1.17-1.19)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Hero legends were retold for centuries, and the sources often disagree on parentage, deeds and death. This entry follows the best-known versions and notes the main alternatives.