Global InformationResheph information
| Resheph | |
|---|---|
God of war and disease | |
 | |
| Other names | Iršappa,[1] Rušpan[2] (disputed)[3] |
| Major cult center | Ebla, Adanni, Tunip, Ugarit, Bibitta, Deir el-Medina, Idalion |
| Planet | Mars[4][5] |
| Weapons | bow, arrow, shield[6] |
| Animals | gazelle,[7] horse[8] |
| Personal information | |
| Spouse |
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| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Apollo, Hylates[12] |
| Mesopotamian equivalent | Nergal[13][14] |
| Hurrian equivalent | Nupatik[15] |
| Egyptian equivalent | Montu[16] |
| Luwian equivalent | Runtiya[17] |
| Arabian equivalent | Ruda[18] |
Resheph (also Reshef and many other variants, see below; Eblaite 𒀭𒊏𒊓𒀊, Rašap, Ugaritic: 𐎗𐎌𐎔, ršp, Egyptian ršpw, Phoenician: 𐤓𐤔𐤐, ršp, Hebrew: רֶשֶׁף Rešep̄) was a god associated with war and plague, originally worshiped in Ebla in the third millennium BCE. He was one of the main members of the local pantheon, and was worshiped in numerous hypostases, some of which were associated with other nearby settlements, such as Tunip. He was associated with the goddess Adamma, who was his spouse in Eblaite tradition. Eblaites considered him and the Mesopotamian god Nergal to be equivalents, most likely based on their shared role as war deities.
In the second millennium BCE, Resheph continued to be worshiped in various cities in Syria and beyond. He is best attested in texts from Ugarit, where he was one of the most popular deities. While well attested in ritual texts and theophoric names, he does not play a large role in Ugaritic mythology. An omen text describes him as the doorkeeper of the sun goddess, Shapash, and might identify him with the planet Mars. He was also venerated in Emar and other nearbly settlements, and appears in theophoric names as far east as Mari. The Hurrians also incorporated him into their pantheon under the name Iršappa, and considered him a god of commerce. Through their mediation, he also reached the Hittite Empire. He was also introduced to Egypt, possibly by the Hyksos, and achieved a degree of prominence there in the Ramesside period, with evidence of a domestic cult available from sites such as Deir el-Medina. The Egyptians regarded him as a warlike god, but he could also be invoked as a protective healer. He was associated with gazelles and horses, and in art appears as an armed deity armed with a bow, shield and arrows.
References to Resheph from the first millennium BCE are less common. He did not play a large role in Phoenician religion overall, with only one reference to him occurring in texts from Sidon, though he is well attested as a member of the Phoenician pantheon of Cyprus. He was also worshiped by Arameans in Cilicia and in Syria. References to him are also present in the Hebrew Bible, though due to the process of demythologization his name does not always refer to a personified deity. Greeks considered him an equivalent of Apollo, as attested by bilingual inscriptions from Cyprus, though it is not certain if this example of interpretatio graeca was recognized outside this island.
- ^ Archi 2013, p. 14.
- ^ Münnich 2013, p. 76.
- ^ Krebernik 2008, p. 470.
- ^ Pardee 2002, p. 131.
- ^ Münnich 2013, p. 148.
- ^ Zivie-Coche 2011, p. 6.
- ^ Münnich 2013, p. 211.
- ^ Cornelius 1994, p. 239.
- ^ Münnich 2013, pp. 261–262.
- ^ Münnich 2013, p. 90.
- ^ Krebernik 2013, p. 205.
- ^ López-Ruiz 2021, p. 270.
- ^ Streck 2008, p. 252.
- ^ Münnich 2013, p. 64.
- ^ Krebernik 2013, p. 201.
- ^ Münnich 2009, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Münnich 2013, p. 213.
- ^ Streck 2008, p. 253.