Yam (Yammu)
Also known as: Prince Sea (zbl ym), Judge River (ṯpṭ nhr), Beloved of El
Mythological Narrative
The Sea as a god, 'Prince Sea, Judge River', El's favourite, who demands that Baal be handed over as his captive and is struck down by Baal's clubs.
Scholarly Commentary & Evolution
## Prince Sea, Judge River
Yam, whose name simply means "sea", is always paired in poetic parallelism with "River": he is "Prince Sea" and "Judge River". He is "beloved of El", and in the fragmentary first tablet of the Baal Cycle El proclaims his name and gives him a house built by Kothar-wa-Khasis (KTU 1.1-1.2). His power over the waters is also a claim to kingship among the gods.
## The demand for Baal
In KTU 1.2 I Yam sends messengers to the assembly of the gods on El's mountain with a blunt order: hand over Baal and his followers. The gods lower their heads onto their knees in fear, Baal rebukes them, and El agrees that Baal is Yam's servant. Baal lunges at the messengers and has to be held back by Anat and Athtart.
## Defeat
With two clubs made by Kothar-wa-Khasis, Baal fights Yam. The first club, Yagrush, strikes his shoulders but does not fell him; the second, Ayyamur, strikes him on the head and he collapses. Athtart then urges Baal to finish him, and the text declares that Yam is dead and Baal shall be king (KTU 1.2 IV). Elsewhere, Anat boasts that she herself defeated Yam.
## The sea and the serpent
Yam is associated with sea-monsters, the dragon Tunnan and the serpent Litan, and his defeat belongs to a wide Near Eastern pattern of a storm-god subduing the sea. The Hebrew Bible uses the same imagery when it describes God rebuking or dividing the sea (yam).
Cross-Pantheon Parallels & Archetypes
Academic Discussion & Critique
Exchange peer-reviewed hypotheses, comparative Indo-European etymologies, and archaeological field interpretations regarding Yam (Yammu).
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Tiamat
The primordial saltwater sea and mother of the gods. Avenging her consort Apsu with eleven monsters, she was netted by Marduk and split into heaven and earth; her eyes became the Tigris and Euphrates.
Anat
The young warrior goddess of Ugarit, Baal's sister and fiercest ally, who wades through battle, bullies El into granting Baal a palace, finds Baal's body, and destroys Mot.
Athirat (Asherah)
El's consort, 'Lady Athirat of the Sea' and 'Creatress of the Gods', mother of the seventy sons of El, who can persuade El when no one else can.
Athtar
The god whom Athirat proposes as king after Baal's death, who climbs onto Baal's throne on Zaphon and finds that his feet do not reach the footstool.