ABSTRACT
Unlike Tiamat, the Ugaritic sea-god Yamm is not a primordial adversary, and his defeat does not usher in a new epoch. This chapter discusses the implications of the Ugaritic poem's particular depiction of suzerainty and vassalage. It presents the political positions that presuppose the idea of hierarchy – without actually affirming the principle that these positions depend on – the Baal Cycle ultimately undermines the traditional basis of sovereignty. The poem's explicit purpose of celebrating Seth-Baal's act of championing the gods against the sea suggests that the marriage was imposed on the gods against their will. The account of the battle between Seth-Baal and the sea is missing from the extant fragments of the papyrus. The Baal Cycle stands out in that it does not use the type-scene to reaffirm the legitimacy of the reigning law and the political positions that that law enshrines.
