Eggsquisitely Mythical #27 : Lebanon
- Dr. Fizza Younis
- Nov 21, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Hello, fellow eggs and mythology lovers!
For our next Eggsquisitely Mythical issue, we are doing a deep dive on the legends of Lebanon.
Background
Situated on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Asia (the Levant), Lebanon is a nation whose coordinates approximately span 33° and 35° N latitude. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, with its western flank defined by the Mediterranean coastline. This nation was once the core of the Phoenician civilization, renowned for its maritime prowess, its seminal development of the alphabet, and its role as a cradle of profound mythology.
It was from these ancient shores that the cult of deities such as Baal emerged and foundational narratives, including the myth of Europa, are believed to have originated. The iconic Cedar forests, Lebanon's national symbol, stand not merely as flora but as enduring monuments to this storied past. Consequently, the country presents itself not as a relic, but as a living landscape where mythic tradition and recorded history are indelibly linked.
Gods & Goddesses
El is the supreme god of Phoenician mythology, a calm, dignified father figure who presides over creation and divine order. He is often portrayed as the wise patriarch who governs from a distant, serene realm, representing stability and authority rather than conflict.
Baal (Baal-Hadad) is the storm and fertility god, known for bringing rain, thunder, and renewal to the land. He appears in myths as a heroic figure who battles forces of chaos, particularly the sea god Yamm, to secure prosperity for the world and maintain the cycles of nature.
Baal Hammon is a sky and sun god tied to the cycles of time, seasons, and agriculture. Often regarded as a distant but authoritative deity, he represents the turning of the year, the ripening of crops, and the cosmic rhythms that shape life.
Melqart, the patron god of Tyre, is a divine king and a symbol of the sea-faring city's power. He embodies heroism, death, rebirth, and maritime strength, later becoming linked to the Greek Heracles due to his mythic labors and protective role over sailors and rulers.
Eshmun is the god of healing and restoration, worshipped especially in Sidon. His mythology centers on renewal and regeneration, and temples dedicated to him were seen as sacred spaces of recovery, making him a vital figure for those seeking health and divine mercy.
Yamm is the god of the sea and a personification of primordial chaos. His mythic clashes with Baal reflect the ancient struggle between storm and ocean, order and disorder, making him both a feared and respected presence in Phoenician lore.
Mot is the god of death and sterility, ruling the barren underworld. His conflict with Baal symbolizes the harshness of drought and the natural cycles of decay, marking him as a powerful reminder of the inevitability and necessity of endings.
Dagon is a grain and agriculture god associated with the nourishment of the land. Often considered Baal’s father in some traditions, he represents the stability provided by harvests and the essential, earthbound side of divine providence.
Resheph is a god of fire, plague, and protection, embodying both destruction and healing. His fiery nature makes him unpredictable, yet his power also wards off disease and misfortune, giving him a complex role within Phoenician belief.
Asherah is a great mother goddess and consort of El, linked to fertility, the sea, and the nurturing forces of nature. She is often portrayed as a protective figure whose blessings ensure growth, family, and continuity among both humans and gods.
Shapash is the sun goddess who illuminates both the mortal world and the paths of the gods. Called the “Torch of the Gods,” she serves as a guide and judge, often mediating conflicts through her clarity and far-reaching vision.
Tanit is a revered mother goddess associated with fertility, childbirth, and the moon. Although most prominent in Carthage, she was also honored in Phoenician cities, where she symbolized protection, nourishment, and the gentle but powerful forces of womanhood.
Anat is a fierce warrior goddess, known for her unmatched ferocity and unwavering loyalty, especially toward Baal. She is celebrated for defending the gods against chaos, her stories filled with scenes of battle, vengeance, and triumphant strength.
Astarte is a powerful goddess associated with love, desire, fertility, and war. Revered across the Near East, she embodies both sensuality and fierce protection, often depicted as a radiant goddess who inspires passion while commanding authority on the battlefield.
Atargatis is the mother goddess of the earth and water. Her favorite animals were the dove and the fish. She is sometimes depicted as a mermaid and is sometimes considered the source of the goddess Aphrodite.
Meni is the god of luck, good or bad. is a West Semitic god associated with fate, destiny, and allotted portions in life. His name is linked to the idea of “apportioning” or “assigning,” suggesting a deity who oversees the distribution of fortune.
Mythical Creatures & Supernatural Beings
Lamia (Lamia of the Levant): In Levantine folklore, the Lamia is a child-stealing, life-draining spirit who hides monstrous features beneath a beautiful illusion. She roams the night hunting the vulnerable, especially travelers and children. Variants of Lamia appear widely across the Mediterranean, especially in Greek mythology, where Lamia is a cursed queen turned into a man-eater, and in North African folklore, where similar feminine demons stalk lonely paths.
Lilin / Lilitu: The Lilin are ancient night spirits tied to storms, illness, and seduction, gliding through the dark as shadows or swift winds. They originate in Mesopotamian mythology (as Lilitu, Ardat-Lili, and Lilitu demons), and versions appear throughout the Near East. Later Jewish folklore transformed one of them into Lilith, while echoes of these beings survive in Arabian jinn tales.
Baal’s Serpent (Lotan / Litan): Lotan, the many-headed sea serpent defeated by Baal, represents chaos and the violent power of the sea. His legend parallels the Mesopotamian monster Tiamat, the Hittite dragon Illuyanka, and the Hebrew Leviathan, all part of a shared Near Eastern “chaos-dragon” cycle. These stories influenced later Greek traditions of sea monsters like Ketos.
Yamm’s Sea Monsters: Yamm’s creatures are deep-ocean abominations tied to storms and tempests, rising with crashing waves to threaten sailors. Similar storm-sea beasts appear in Mesopotamian myths (Tiamat’s brood), in Greek lore as Scylla-like ocean horrors, and across Mediterranean seafaring cultures where the sea was imagined as a realm full of living chaos.
The Anzillu (Storm Demons): These winged wind demons rush ahead of thunderstorms, howling through mountain passes and causing confusion or illness. They originate from Mesopotamian storm spirits like Pazuzu and the Ugallu demons. Their imagery influenced later Levantine and Arabian folklore, including certain jinn described as windborne beings.
The Shamir (Magic Worm/Creature): The Shamir is a tiny divine creature capable of carving stone simply by passing over it; a symbol of miraculous craftsmanship. Versions of this legend appear in Jewish tradition, where it is associated with Solomon’s Temple, and in some Greek tales of magical worms or insects used in sacred construction. Similar myths appear in Persian folklore regarding supernatural tools of kings.
The Ghoul (Ghūl): Ghouls are shapeshifting predators haunting deserts, ruins, and graveyards, luring humans with mimicry or disguise. Their origins trace back to pre-Islamic Arabian folklore, but they also appear in broader Middle Eastern and North African traditions. Medieval Islamic literature helped popularize the ghoul, and later European Gothic fiction adopted the creature as an eater of corpses.
The Nisnas: The Nisnas is a half-body creature, one arm, one leg, half a face, yet swift and deadly. It appears mainly in Levantine and Arabian folklore, but similar “half-creature” beings exist in ancient Greek mythology (the Arimaspians) and in later Persian myths. Some scholars think the Nisnas is related to early jinn stories describing cursed or fragmented spirits.
The Tannīn: The Tannīn is a sea-serpent or dragon symbolizing chaos, drought, storms, or fiery destruction, depending on the tale. It appears widely across Semitic cultures, closely related to the Hebrew tanninim of Genesis, the Akkadian sea dragons, and the Egyptian Apep, another embodiment of chaos. Across the Mediterranean, the tannīn influenced dragon myths that later spread into Europe.
The Shedim: Shedim are ambiguous shadow spirits who can be protectors or bringers of misfortune, depending on how they’re treated. They appear prominently in Jewish folklore, where they resemble humans but can shapeshift or vanish into thin air. Their traits overlap with Arabian jinn, Persian pari, and even aspects of Greek daemons, all beings that occupy the space between gods and humans.
The Legend of Adonis and Astarte
In the land of cedar and sea, where the mountains of Lebanon meet the Mediterranean, there is a place where a river runs red. To the ancient people of Byblos, this was no mere trick of the light. It was the annual return of a sacred grief, written in the very waters of the Nahr Ibrahim, i.e., the River of Adonis.
Our story begins with a miracle of sorrow. A young woman named Myrrha, cursed by the gods with a forbidden love, was transformed into a myrrh tree. From her fragrant bark, warmed by the sun and split by divine compassion, a child was born. He was Adonis, a boy of such radiant beauty that when the goddess Astarte, mighty Queen of Heaven and Earth, found him, her heart was forever claimed.
She took him to her great temple in Byblos, a sanctuary centered around a sacred, conical stone, the betyl, that was her earthly presence. Fearing for his safety, she hid him in a chest and entrusted him to the realm of the underworld and its queen, Persephone. But as Adonis grew into a man, both goddesses desired him. To end their conflict, the high god decreed a fate that mirrored the turning of the year: for one part, Adonis would dwell with Persephone in the land of the dead; for the other, he would walk the sunlit earth with Astarte.
Thus, he became the spirit of the harvest itself, the rising and dying god. When he departed, the land grew brittle and dry. When he returned, vines burst forth, and grain sprang green from the soil. His life was the pulse of the world.
But the cycle was broken on a hunt in the majestic, wild grotto of Afqa, where a cavern swallows a waterfall whole. There, a great boar, some say sent by a jealous god, gored Adonis. He fell, his life bleeding into the earth. When Astarte heard his cry, her sorrow shattered the peace of heaven. She rushed to the forest floor, but found only his lifeless form.
His legend traveled far, but its heart remained in the valleys of Lebanon.
Astarte's grief became a ritual for local women. Every year, the women of Phoenicia would gather at her temple in Byblos. To the piercing wail of flutes and the clash of cymbals, they would beat their breasts, let down their hair, and dance in a frenzy of lamentation, crying out for the beautiful youth lost to the shadows. They reenacted the search, the despair, the cosmic loss.
And then, the miracle. As the most intense mourning echoed through the valley, a marvel would occur in the mountains. Rains would wash the iron-rich red soil from the slopes of Mount Lebanon into the headwaters of the Adonis River. A crimson stain would snake its way down the valley, reaching Byblos like a flowing, liquid wound. The people would see the river turn the color of blood and know that Adonis has been slain anew. Some even whispered that on this night, Astarte herself would descend from heaven in the form of a brilliant star (Venus) to bathe in the sanguine waters.
Yet with the dawn came transformation. The very next day, the frantic cries of grief ceased. From the temple grounds, a new cry would ring out: Adonis lives! He is risen! The god of the harvest had returned from the underworld. The red river was not just a sign of death, but a promise of rebirth. His blood waters the earth to bring life once more. The seeds, buried like his body, would sprout again.
And so, for generations, in the sacred valley between the grotto of Afqa and the sea at Byblos, the people kept time not just by the sun and moon, but by love, by loss, and by the enduring, red flow of the river that remembered.
In the Lebanese version, Adonis is the spirit of the cedar forests and mountain harvests. His cyclical journey between the goddess of love and the queen of the underworld perfectly mirrors the fertile spring and barren summer of the Levant, making him a deeply local god of vegetation, loss, and resilient renewal.
That concludes today's discussion about Lebanese legends. We hope you enjoyed learning about them!
Check out these other articles written by former team members:
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