Bel

Deities

Tradition · Sumerian Mesopotamian
Alternate Names
BeluBel-MardukBelosThe Lord
Gender Expression
Masculine
Titles
The LordBel-MardukLord of BabylonLord of the Gods
Domain
LordshipKingshipThe title of the high godThe patronage of babylonAuthority
Planetary Correspondence
Jupiter
Secondary Planets
SunSaturn
Elemental Correspondence
AirFire
Zodiac Affinity
LeoSagittarius
Correspondences
Colors
GoldRedBlue
Scents
FrankincenseCedarMyrrh
Metals
GoldBronzeSilver
Animals
BullLionDragon
Sacred Timing
Sabbats
Hours
NoonDawn
Offerings
BeerBreadIncenseCedar woodFirst fruitsA bull
Invocation Approach
Tone
The name that is a title
Address
BelBel-MardukLord
Relationship
The address the high god is given
Warning
Bel is a title and a different god may be meant by it
Resonance
Those who need to name authority
Symbols
The title lordThe horned crownThe zigguratThe tablet
Mythology Summary

Bel is the Akkadian word belu, lord, used as the standing title of the high god: of Enlil at Nippur in the second millennium, and above all of Marduk at Babylon, where Bel-Marduk is the city's lord and the New Year recitation of Enuma Elish is his. The deuterocanonical Bel and the Dragon is a satire on his idol at Babylon, and at Palmyra in the Roman period Bel is a great god in his own right. The name is the same Semitic root as Baal, lord or owner, though the two belong to different traditions.

Modern Practice

Bel is an address rather than a separate patron: the entry is for those who need to name the authority they are speaking to, and it should be used with a clear sense of which god is being meant. It is not a way of smuggling Marduk in under another name without saying so.

Related Deities
MardukEnkiTiamatBaalNanna

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