Yam: Tyrannical Hydra-Like Sea Monster God Cast Out Of Heaven

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Yam (Yamm), (in Hebrew, means ‘sea’) is best known from Canaanite tablets unearthed at Ugarit and related in myths to Baal, the son of the supreme god El, and the universal god of fertility who was titled ‘Prince, Lord of the Earth.’

Destruction of Leviathan, engraving by Gustave Doré, 1865. Credit: Public Domain

The tablets inform that at the beginning of time, Yam was awarded the divine kingship by El, the chief god of the pantheon - father of all the other gods “Creator/Possessor of Heaven and Earth” (except for Baal).

Yam,  a tyrannical, monstrous deity of the sea and other watery realms, was in constant conflict with Baal. These two gods met each other in combat on the plains of heaven and, after his defeat, Yam was cast out of heaven and into the depths of chaos.

Despite what happened to him, he remained in conflict with Baal and wished to dethrone him to rule in heaven. So he came back from the depths beneath the seas to battle for heaven’s gates.

In some versions of the myth, Yam and Baal repeatedly kill each other, resurrect, fight again and die, only to return to life once more. This repeating mythological battle may symbolize furious winter sea storms, which usually calmed in the spring.

Goddess Astarte. Credit: A. Ocram - Public Domain

Some myths found in a fragmented ancient papyrus say that the goddess Astarte was deeply discontented by tributes Yam demanded from other gods. Yam threatened to flood the whole earth if he did not get what he wanted.

El instructed the craftsman-god, Kothar wa-Khasis, to build a palace on his (El’s) grounds and officially announced that his (eldest or favorite?) son is to be known as ‘El’s Beloved Yam’ and as Master, he probably authorizes Yam to banish Baal from his throne.

God El - King of the Gods. Gilded statuette of El from Megiddo. Credit: Daderot - Public Domain

But Yam still wanted more. He requested that the gods surrender Baal to be his bondservant. El finally agreed, but Baal refused and instead decided to meet Yam in a decisive battle.

After a furious fight, using two special weapons delivered to him by the craftsman Kothar, Baal managed to defeat Yam, scattering the pieces of his body. The battle was won, and now the kingship finally belonged to Baal.

In the Egyptian version of the story, the monster god Yam was defeated by Seth, with whom Baal was identified in the Ugaritic myth.

Yam is not clearly described in the available sources and has no clear appearance, though he seems to be serpentine in form.

Some believe that Yam may have had a great, seven-headed sea monster in his following, or he could also himself have been that monster.

According to some scholars, Yam is identical with the god Lotan (Hebrew: Leviathan) – a representation of a serpent or a many-headed dragon and is the model for Satan in the Biblical Book of Revelation (12:9).

Yam seems entirely motivated by rage, his actions are apparent, and he makes no secret of his disrespect for the other gods and their weak and clearly imperfect creations - humans.

Additionally, this figure is also associated with the Christian devil, with a serpent present in the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis, chapter 3.

Scholars know of no ancient Egyptian cult related to the monstrous Yam. However, it is known that Egyptian seafarers widely feared Yam. In addition, if we assume that Yam was also Satan, he must have been feared by many others as well.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated on June 27, 2021

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