# Ilib

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Ugaritic deity and religious concept

Ilib Primordial deity and generic term for ancestral spirits Other names Eni attanni, DINGIR a-bi Major cult center Ugarit Offspring possibly El Equivalents Hurrian Alalu Mesopotamian Ancestors of Enlil Phoenician Elyon

**Ilib** (also known as *eni attanni*) was an [Ugaritic god](/source/Ugaritic_god) most likely regarded as a primordial deity. As a generic term, the word *ilib* seemingly also referred to spirits of ancestors. The god and the concept were most likely connected with each other. Ilib's role has been compared to that played by deities such as [Alalu](/source/Alalu) in [Hurrian religion](/source/Hurrian_religion) or [ancestors of Enlil](/source/Ancestors_of_Enlil), for example [Enmesharra](/source/Enmesharra), in [Mesopotamian religion](/source/Ancient_Mesopotamian_religion). Offerings to him are mentioned in a number of [Ugaritic texts](/source/Ugaritic_texts).

## Name

The [theonym](/source/Theonym) written in the [Ugaritic alphabetic](/source/Ugaritic_alphabet) script as *‘l’b* can be vocalized as Ilib[1] or ‘Ilu’ibī.[2] It is typically translated as "the god, the father"[3] or "the god of the father".[2] The translation "[El](/source/El_(deity)) of the father" is also considered a possibility, though it is less common.[4] It is presumed that the word *ab*, "father", became *ib* in Ilib's name through the process of [assimilation](/source/Assimilation_(phonology)).[1]

Multilingual texts from Ugarit indicate that Ilib's name was translated as [DINGIR](/source/Dingir) *a-bi* (to be read as *ilabi*) in [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language) and as *in atn* in [Hurrian](/source/Hurrian_language).[4] The vocalized form of the latter name is *eni attanni*, a plural equivalent, *enna atanniwena*, is known as well.[5]

## Character

According to Dennis Pardee Ilib functioned as a theogonic deity, specifically as the ancestor of the family of [El](/source/El_(deity)), and by extension of other gods belonging to the [Ugaritic pantheon](/source/Ugaritic_pantheon).[2] A similar possibility is accepted by Lluís Feliu as one of the plausible interpretations of Ilib and his relation to El.[6] Ilya Yakubovich proposes interpreting Ilib as a figure similar to [Elyon](/source/Elyon), a creator deity and ancestor of El from a later non-Ugaritic source, *[Phoenician](/source/Phoenicia) History* of [Philo of Byblos](/source/Philo_of_Byblos).[7]

John F. Healey instead argues Ilib was not a deity, but a generic term for dead ancestors honored by individual families.[4] He assumes that his prominent position in offering lists should be treated as an indication that a family deity of the Ugaritic kings is meant, rather than as an indication that a god senior to El, [Baal](/source/Baal), [Dagan](/source/Dagan_(god)) and other deities was believed to exist.[8] A parallel to this understanding of Ilib might be the [Eblaite](/source/Ebla) [d](/source/Dingir)A.MU, representing the concept of a person's posthumously deified father.[9]

[Karel van der Toorn](/source/Karel_van_der_Toorn) notes that it is possible both a distinct god named Ilib and a generic concept of an ancestral spirit referred to as ilib coexisted in Ugaritic religion.[5] He proposes the former was a divine reflection of the latter, an ancestor of the gods developed through theological speculation under the influence of Hurrian beliefs about deities such as [Alalu](/source/Alalu) and other so-called "[Olden Gods](/source/Ammatina_Enna)", who served as ancestors of other members of the pantheon and were believed to have reigned in distant past.[10] Alfonso Archi argues that to the Hurrians Ilib's translation *eni attanni* represented a "generic ancestor of the gods".[11] He points out Hurrians might have been influenced both by the western tradition of ancestor worship and by Mesopotamian beliefs about primordial deities who reigned before the currently worshiped ones.[12] A well attested example are the [ancestors of Enlil](/source/Ancestors_of_Enlil), such as [Enmesharra](/source/Enmesharra).[13]

A correspondence between Ilib and the [Mesopotamian god](/source/Mesopotamian_god) [Ilaba](/source/Ilaba) has been suggested by [Wilfred G. Lambert](/source/Wilfred_G._Lambert).[4][14] However, Pardee argues their respective characters were not similar[15] and rules out the possibility that the Ugaritic god was derived from the Mesopotamian one.[16] Manfred Krebernik notes that accepting that Ilib was derived from Ilaba would require assuming that the name of this god was reinterpreted after he was introduced into the Ugaritic pantheon.[17]

The proposal that Ilib was an [epithet](/source/Epithet) of El is not regarded as plausible.[18]

## In the Ugaritic texts

The attestations of Ilib in the [Ugaritic texts](/source/Ugaritic_texts) are scarce.[4] In a standard ritual enumeration of deities, he is listed as the second entry, occurring after the introductory phrase "the gods of [Mount Zaphon](/source/Mount_Zaphon)" and before El.[19] In one of the offering lists, he is the first of the deities mentioned, with the pair *ảrṣ w šmm*, "Earth and Heaven", separating him from El.[7] A ritual focused on Ilib alone is alluded to in the Ugaritic texts, but no descriptions of it survive.[2] The text RIH 77/2B+ appears to be focused jointly on him and El, and most likely describes ritual contemplation.[20] Ritual texts, for example [KTU](/source/Keilalphabetische_Texte_aus_Ugarit) 1.162, also mention the sacrifice of cattle[21] and rams to him.[22][23] In KTU 1.109 he is listed among the deities receiving offerings in the temple of [Baal](/source/Baal) alongside El, Baal, [Anat](/source/Anat) and [Pidray](/source/Pidray).[10] The text specifies that the group was honored with a burnt offering (*šrp*), and that latter Ilib received a lamb in the *urbt*, presumed to be a window or some type of small sanctuary.[23] The Hurrian translation of Ilib's name appears in Hurrian offering lists from Ugarit, and it is presumed that functionally both deities were the same, similarly to how [Nikkal](/source/Nikkal) is attested in both Ugaritic and Hurrian texts.[24] He or his plural form occurs in the beginning of such texts, before El, [Kumarbi](/source/Kumarbi) and [Teshub](/source/Teshub).[11]

A reference to Ilib understood as a generic designation for a family deity occurs in the *[Epic of Aqhat](/source/Epic_of_Aqhat)*.[5] The concept is referenced in passages describing filial duties.[25] According to this literary text, a son was expected to set up a stela for his father's *ilib* after his death.[26]

### Other attestations

Only two possible references to Ilib are known from outside Ugarit: he is seemingly mentioned in a damaged bowl inscription from [Lachish](/source/Lachish) and in a [theophoric name](/source/Theophoric_name) known from a seal from [Palestine](/source/Palestine_(region)), though in the latter case most likely a generic ancestor spirit is meant.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993379_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993379_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993379_1-2) [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), p. 379.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee2002280_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee2002280_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee2002280_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee2002280_2-3) [Pardee 2002](#CITEREFPardee2002), p. 280.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn199447_3-0)** [van der Toorn 1994](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1994), p. 47.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHealey1999447_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHealey1999447_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHealey1999447_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHealey1999447_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHealey1999447_4-4) [Healey 1999](#CITEREFHealey1999), p. 447.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993381_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993381_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993381_5-2) [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), p. 381.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFeliu2003270_6-0)** [Feliu 2003](#CITEREFFeliu2003), p. 270.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEYakubovich2010395_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEYakubovich2010395_7-1) [Yakubovich 2010](#CITEREFYakubovich2010), p. 395.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHealey1999447–448_8-0)** [Healey 1999](#CITEREFHealey1999), pp. 447–448.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993382–383_9-0)** [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), pp. 382–383.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993385_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993385_10-1) [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), p. 385.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEArchi201318_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEArchi201318_11-1) [Archi 2013](#CITEREFArchi2013), p. 18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEArchi201316_12-0)** [Archi 2013](#CITEREFArchi2013), p. 16.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993385–386_13-0)** [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), pp. 385–386.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESmithPitard2009580_14-0)** [Smith & Pitard 2009](#CITEREFSmithPitard2009), p. 580.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee2000187_15-0)** [Pardee 2000](#CITEREFPardee2000), p. 187.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee2000297_16-0)** [Pardee 2000](#CITEREFPardee2000), p. 297.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEKrebernik2016397_17-0)** [Krebernik 2016](#CITEREFKrebernik2016), p. 397.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTESmith2000668_18-0)** [Smith 2000](#CITEREFSmith2000), p. 668.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee200215_19-0)** [Pardee 2002](#CITEREFPardee2002), p. 15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee200274_20-0)** [Pardee 2002](#CITEREFPardee2002), p. 74.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee200229_21-0)** [Pardee 2002](#CITEREFPardee2002), p. 29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPardee200248_22-0)** [Pardee 2002](#CITEREFPardee2002), p. 48.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFeliu2003267_23-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFeliu2003267_23-1) [Feliu 2003](#CITEREFFeliu2003), p. 267.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEVálek202152_24-0)** [Válek 2021](#CITEREFVálek2021), p. 52.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993383_25-0)** [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), p. 383.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEvan_der_Toorn1993384_26-0)** [van der Toorn 1993](#CITEREFvan_der_Toorn1993), p. 384.

### Bibliography

- Archi, Alfonso (2013). ["The West Hurrian Pantheon and Its Background"](https://www.academia.edu/7003610). In Collins, B. J.; Michalowski, P. (eds.). *Beyond Hatti: a tribute to Gary Beckman*. Atlanta: Lockwood Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-937040-11-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-937040-11-6). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [882106763](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/882106763).

- Feliu, Lluís (2003). [*The god Dagan in Bronze Age Syria*](https://books.google.com/books?id=IN9_IRYKKUMC). Leiden Boston, MA: Brill. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [90-04-13158-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/90-04-13158-2). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [52107444](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/52107444). Retrieved 2022-12-01.

- Healey, John F. (1999), "Ilib", in van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; van der Horst, Pieter W. (eds.), [*Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible*](https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PA447), Eerdmans Publishing Company, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8028-2491-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8028-2491-2), retrieved 2022-11-30

- Krebernik, Manfred (2016), ["Ilaba"](http://publikationen.badw.de/en/rla/index#5679), *Reallexikon der Assyriologie* (in German), retrieved 2022-11-30

- Pardee, Dennis (2000). [*Les textes rituels d'Ougarit*](https://www.mission-ougarit.fr/wp-content/pdf/mission_ougarit_publication_rso_121.pdf) (PDF). Ras Shamra – Ougarit (in French). Vol. XII. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-2-86538-276-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-2-86538-276-7). Retrieved 2022-11-30.

- Pardee, Dennis (2002). *Ritual and cult at Ugarit*. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-04-12657-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-12657-2). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [558437302](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/558437302).

- Smith, Mark S. (2000). ["Handbook of Ugaritic Studies by W. G. E. Watson, N. Wyatt (review)"](http://www.jstor.org/stable/606647). *Journal of the American Oriental Society*. **120** (4). American Oriental Society: 667–669. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/606647](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F606647). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0003-0279](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0003-0279). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [606647](https://www.jstor.org/stable/606647). Retrieved 2022-12-01.

- Smith, Mark S.; Pitard, Wayne T. (2009). *The Ugaritic Baal cycle. Volume II. Introduction with Text, Translations and Commentary of KTU 1.3-1.4*. Leiden: Brill. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-04-09995-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-09995-1). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [30914624](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/30914624).

- Válek, František (2021). ["Foreigners and Religion at Ugarit"](https://www.academia.edu/66842385). *Studia Orientalia Electronica*. **9** (2): 47–66. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.23993/store.88230](https://doi.org/10.23993%2Fstore.88230). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2323-5209](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2323-5209).

- van der Toorn, Karel (1993). "Ilib and the "God of the Father"". *Ugarit-Forschungen*. **25**. Ugarit-Verlag: 379–387. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0342-2356](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0342-2356).

- van der Toorn, Karel (1994). "Gods and Ancestors in Emar and Nuzi". *Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie*. **84** (1). Walter de Gruyter GmbH. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1515/zava.1994.84.1.38](https://doi.org/10.1515%2Fzava.1994.84.1.38). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0084-5299](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0084-5299). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [201651614](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:201651614).

- Yakubovich, Ilya (2010). ["West Semitic god El in Anatolian Hieroglyphic transmission"](https://www.academia.edu/509549). *Pax Hethitica: studies on the Hittites and their neighbours in honour of Itamar Singer*. Wiesbaden. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3-447-06119-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-447-06119-3). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [646006786](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/646006786).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ilib](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilib) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilib?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.