S2 Ep6: Phoenician Goddess Shapash: Torch of the Gods

In this episode of The Goddess Divine, we journey into the brilliant, ambivalent, world-crossing power of Shapash, the Phoenician and Ugaritic Sun-Goddess known as the “Torch of the Gods.” Through myth, cosmology, ancient ritual, and contemplative storytelling, we explore her role as messenger, witness, healer, psychopomp, and negotiator between life and death. With insights from the Baal Cycle, Bronze Age Near Eastern culture, and lesser-known legends of Anat, Mavet, and Baal, we uncover the luminous, and fiercely honest, medicine that Shapash offers to modern seekers navigating transition, truth, and inner clarity. This episode illuminates Shapash as guide, protector, and bearer of clarity in times of shadow.

Reference List

• The Ugaritic Texts (KTU 1.1–1.6): The Baal Cycle
• Ritual and liturgical Ugaritic texts referencing Shapash (KTU 1.119, 1.23, and related fragments)
• Phoenician inscriptions referencing solar deities and ritual invocations
• Mark S. Smith, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, Vols. I & II
• “The Baal Cycle,” https://emp.byui.edu/SatterfieldB/Ugarit/The%20Epic%20of%20Baal.html.
  Dawson, Tess, “The Horned Altar.” Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN). 2013.
  —, “Whisper of Stone.” O. Books: Winchester (UK). 2009.
• Siren, Christopher, “Canaanite/Ugaritic Mythology FAQ,” 1999. http://www.arcane-archive.org/faqs/faq.caugmth.9805.php
• Took, T. (n.d.). Shapash. Thalia Took. https://www.thaliatook.com/OGOD/shapash.php
• Neptune, D. (2021, February 13). Shapash and Yarikh of Canaan. Neptune’s Dolphins. https://neptunesdolphins.wordpress.com/2021/02/13/shapash-and-yarikh-of-canaan/