Lôtān, Litan or Litānu was a sea monster in Canaanite mythology, similar to the
Leviathan in Hebrew mythology. Lotan seems to have been prefigured by Têmtum, the
serpent killed by the benevolent storm god Hadad in Syrian seals of the 18th -16th
century BC. In the Baal Cycle discovered in the ruins of Ugarit, Lotan is a servant of
the sea god Yammu and is defeated by the benevolent storm god Baʿal, possibly with
the help or by the hand of his sister ʿAnat. Lotan or Litanu was his proper name. The
account has gaps, making it unclear whether some phrases describe him or other
monsters at Yammu's disposal. Most scholars agree on describing him as "the fugitive
serpent" but he may or may not be "the wriggling serpent" or the mighty one with
seven heads. The Baal Cycle's description of Lotan is directly paralleled by a passage
in the later Apocalypse of Isaiah, in which Yahweh fights Leviathan.
Leviathan in Hebrew mythology. Lotan seems to have been prefigured by Têmtum, the
serpent killed by the benevolent storm god Hadad in Syrian seals of the 18th -16th
century BC. In the Baal Cycle discovered in the ruins of Ugarit, Lotan is a servant of
the sea god Yammu and is defeated by the benevolent storm god Baʿal, possibly with
the help or by the hand of his sister ʿAnat. Lotan or Litanu was his proper name. The
account has gaps, making it unclear whether some phrases describe him or other
monsters at Yammu's disposal. Most scholars agree on describing him as "the fugitive
serpent" but he may or may not be "the wriggling serpent" or the mighty one with
seven heads. The Baal Cycle's description of Lotan is directly paralleled by a passage
in the later Apocalypse of Isaiah, in which Yahweh fights Leviathan.
Lotan / video / color / hdv / 15:43 min / 2016
