154 herbert niehr
the cult of the weather-god addu of aleppo dates back to the 3rd mil-
lennium B.c. and by early christian times had lost none of its standing.
as hadad of guzana was the mighty weather-god of the Jazira, so hadad
of aleppo was the most important weather-god of the countries between
the euphrates and the Mediterranean.115
texts from ebla, Mari, and Ugarit provide some insight into the char-
acteristics of the weather-god of aleppo, because they mention the weap-
ons with which the weather-god fought the sea. these weapons were on
display in the temple of the weather-god in aleppo.116 the most famous
literary expression of this battle, which occurred along the northern part
of syria’s Mediterranean coast, is found not only in a section of the Baʿal
cycle from Ugarit (KtU 1.1–2), but also in the hurrian-hittite mythology
of anatolia.117
During the aramaean period in aleppo, mention of the cult of the
weather-god hadad is found in the treaty between King ashur-nirari V
(753–746 B.c.) and King Matiʾel of arpad (saa ii no. 2)118 and in the texts
from sefire (Kai 222 a 11). as no myths were transmitted from aleppo,
the mere mention of the weather-god and his iconography119 must suffice
as source material for the 1st millennium B.c. it is reasonably certain that
the cult of the aramaean god hadad was in direct continuity with the cult
of the god addu of aleppo.
During the 2nd millennium B.c. the goddess Ḫebat is encountered
as the paredros of the god addu.120 even though she is not attested in
aleppo during the 1st millennium B.c., she is probably found in the divine
iconography of samʾal,121 which makes a contemporary cult of her very
likely in aleppo.
the only written information about the deities worshipped in neirab
comes from the aramaic inscriptions (Kai 225 and 226) on two sepul-
chral stelae from the late 8th century B.c. (pls. xVii and xix).122 in both
115 cf. Fales 2011a: 233.
116 cf. haas 1994: 553–555; schwemer 2001: 211–217, 226–237; Durand 2002: 1–15.
117 cf. smith 1994 on Ugarit and niehr 1994c: 170 on anatolia.
118 text and translation in parpola – Watanabe 1988: 8–13.
119 on the iconography, cf. the reliefs of the weather-god mounting his chariot (see
section 3.3) and the striding weather-god (see section 3.3), both found in the temple in
aleppo, as well as the so-called Babylon stele with the inscription BaBYlon 1 (see section
3.3); on the inscription, see hawkins 2000: 391–394.
120 cf. on the goddess trémouille 1994: 87–105; ead. 1997; archi 1999.
121 see below.
122 today both stelae are in the Musée du louvre, paris (ao 3026 and 3027); on the
aramaic inscriptions and the stelae, cf. most recently Yun 2006 and niehr 2010b.