In the bustling trade town of Ugarit, Syria, art is big business as local wares hit the market during the Bronze Age c. 3300 - 1200 BCE. Trade roads lead from the ancient Indus Valley to the mystic East, from the stormy Baltic Sea to the olive groves of the Mediterranean.
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Ugarit and nearby cities shine as traffic and abundance pour through the gates. In the Golden Years of the Bronze Age, opportunities abound for eager minds. Trade includes wares in artistic media and objects of faience, copper, bronze (copper + tin) and amber.
Over this prosperous landscape, Kothar the Creation God presides. He's a powerful creator, on a par with Ptah of Egypt and the Mesopotamian Ea or Enki.
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His major cult center is Ugarit, but his dwelling places are also named as Memphis, Egypt, the home of Ptah; and the ancient Egyptian town of Caphtor. Both Memphis and Caphtor are on the busy trade routes for crafts and resources.
In Ugarit and other centers of worship, Kothar is the divinity of architects, artisans, crafters, smiths or metal workers, musicians and magicians, and in a broad sense artists and creators in general. Some scholars suggest his name Kothar-wa-Khasis is a combination of two gods, Kothar and Khasis.
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Kothar means "skill" and Khasis is "cunning" in West Semitic. Cunning comes from the Old Norse meaning "to know", referring to estoteric wisdom. Kothar is also equated with the Greek Hephaestus, blacksmith god of the forge and metallurgy.
Hephaestus originates in Asia Minor and nearby islands, particularly Lemnos in the east Aegean. His worship travels to mainland Greece around 600 BCE.
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Like Hephaestus, Kothar makes weapons, furnishings, tools, decor and supplies for the Gods. His forge is beneath an unnamed volcano in Crete. He makes a bow for the mythical hero Aqhat. He builds his own palace in the realm of the gods.
In mythology, Kothar is believed to be the first poet. The Phoenicians consider him the patron god of magic and magical incantations. Due to his ties to architecture he's associated with construction of temples or ziggurats.
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Kothar is credited with creating the first weapons and naming them. In one myth he makes gifts for the Goddess Asherah (Atherit) to win her support for Baal. The God wants to build a palace but needs permission of Creator Father God El. She likes the gifts, gives her support and Baal gets his palace.
Kothar-wa-Khasis also makes weapons for Baal to win his fight with the Lotan, Sea Serpent of Chaos. The serpent works for sea god Yam.
While the first weapon is too weak, the second weapon Kothar makes strikes true and Baal defeats the monster. This progression is also found in the story of Siegfried's fight against the dragon Fafnir.
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In the Ugartic god lists or kaluti, Kothar appears as sixteenth in importance in the kingdom. He's placed after Mount Saphon, in the mountain range north of Ugarit, and before Pidray, sister of Underworld Goddess Asray.
These are the order of sacrifices during a feast day ritual. He receives the sacrifice of a bull or two rams. God lists or sacrifice lists can vary from town to town, depending on the tutelary deity of a town or region, allies of the town and the specific desires of Gods.
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Kothar is connected to the Underworld due to his workshop below the earth and his power over metals and fire which come from the earth. Volcanic activity throughout the known world is assumed to be caused by fiery deities such as Hephaestus and Kothar.
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