Episode 072 - Ugaritic Myth: The Curse of Kirta

Is the Kirta Epic connected to the Bible… or are we seeing the shared cultural world of the ancient Near East?In this episode of Musings on Mysteries and the Mythical Matrix, we break down the Ugaritic myth of Kirta, also known as Keret: a Bronze Age king who loses his family, receives a divine command from El, restores his dynasty, breaks a vow, falls under judgment, and is ultimately restored.We explore the story’s major themes: divine dreams, royal succession, broken vows, sickness, restoration, and El’s authority over the other gods.We also tackle the big comparative question: Do the parallels between Kirta and biblical figures like Job, David, and Solomon prove that the Bible repurposed Ugaritic myth… or do they reveal common themes and challenges across the ancient Near Eastern world?From there, we examine Ugaritic vows, textual dating assumptions, possible YW references, divine tents, clay creation imagery, and the significance of El intervening over Asherah’s judgment.And finally, we ask whether the Kirta myth points to ordinary polytheism… or something closer to a universal monolatry framework where one high god still has the final say.M Quad Links   Support the show! https://buymeacoffee.com/m.quad.musingsDiscord server invite: https://discord.gg/yzfH3KEjY9ReferencesCoogan, M. D. (1978). Stories from ancient Canaan. Westminster John Knox Press.Parker, S. B. (Ed.). (1997). Ugaritic narrative poetry. Scholars Press.