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Source recordAncient text

The Epic of Aqhat (KTU 1.17-1.19)

Anonymous Ugaritic poet; tablets copied by the scribe Ilimilku · Tablets of the late 13th or early 12th c. BCE · Ugaritic

Ancient text

The Epic of Aqhat (KTU 1.17-1.19)

Anonymous Ugaritic poet; tablets copied by the scribe Ilimilku

Tablets of the late 13th or early 12th c. BCE

Three tablets telling how the righteous Danel is granted a son, Aqhat; how the goddess Anat covets the bow the craftsman god gives him and has him killed; and how his sister Pughat sets out to avenge him. The ending is lost.

About this work

Three tablets telling how the righteous Danel is granted a son, Aqhat; how the goddess Anat covets the bow the craftsman god gives him and has him killed; and how his sister Pughat sets out to avenge him. The ending is lost.

Where to start

Read straight through; Parker's translation is short and clearly annotated.

Figures in the text

Heroes and divinities who feature prominently, with where they appear.

Key scenes

Turning points of the work, in reading order.

  1. The Gift of the Bow

    KTU 1.17 V

    Kothar-wa-Khasis arrives at Danel's house carrying a bow and arrows, and Danel gives the bow to his son.

  2. Anat's Offer

    KTU 1.17 VI

    Anat offers Aqhat silver, gold, and then immortality for the bow; he refuses and mocks her.

  3. Pughat Sets Out

    KTU 1.19 IV

    Aqhat's sister arms herself beneath a woman's clothes and goes to the camp of his killer, where the text breaks off.

Stories drawn from it

Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.

About this record

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.