Baal

Culture: Canaanite   Also called: Hadad   Domain: Storms, rain, fertility, kingship

Baal is a storm and fertility god central to Canaanite religion, whose myth cycle includes a major battle against Yam (the sea) for kingship among the gods, and a later death and resurrection tied to the agricultural seasons, paralleling Baal's control over the life-giving rains the region's farming depended on.

Associations

Storms and rain, agricultural fertility, kingship won through struggle, seasonal renewal.

Ways people honor him (modern)

• Reflect on struggles that ultimately establish rightful authority
• Support agricultural and water-security efforts
• Keep rain water or grain on the altar
• Read surviving fragments of the Baal Cycle from ancient Ugarit for his myths

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.