The idea that different mythical-religious systems would recognize the same locations as important is a fascinating one that resonates throughout the history (and pre-history) of human settlement. Archaeological finds demonstrate again and again that not only do successive residents of an area use the same spaces as sacred sites, but that the iconography associated with those sites is often similar.
Baal, St. George, and Khidr is Robert D. Miller’s entry in the series History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant, curated by Jeffrey A. Blakely and K. Lawson Younger for Pennsylvania State University’s Eisenbrauns imprint. Previous books include Temples and Sanctuaries from the Early Iron Age Levant, A Monetary and Political History of the Phoenician City of Byblos in the Fifth and Fourth Centuries, and the intriguing Donkeys in the Biblical World. Miller is an archaeologist at The Catholic University of America, and his work in this case is heavily archaeological, a survey of sites relevant to the three figures in his title and the possible continuities involved in their worship. The result is a sacred geography of the ancient Levant.
In the introduction, Miller discusses the three figures with which he is concerned: Baal is a Canaanite god of storms; George is a Christian saint; el-Khader is a Muslim form of St. George—all three are dragon-slayers. Khidr is more complicated, since the name and cognate forms are also used for a Qur’anic figure who performs apparently wicked acts that turn out to be benevolent; furthermore, the name is also associated with Elijah. The three are joined by a host of others ranging from Hellenic (Pan and Zeus) to Hittite deities. Aside from contemporary literature, Miller relies on inscribed stelea for much of the identification of gods throughout the book.
The complexity of identity when analyzing ancient mythical and legendary figures is precisely the point of this slim treatise. Its eighty-eight pages go by quickly, especially since there are twenty images: maps and photographs by the author, who knows the geography well. Chapters 1-6 are organized by location, giving a detailed account of the various sites associated with the worship and veneration of the figures involved. At times it reads like a walking tour, with directions orienting readers, and distances given between the locations. The description of these sites varies from fairly simple lists to more detailed summaries of the myths involved, which are always fascinating, even when the myths are only tangentially related to the dragon-slayers.
In chapter 7, “Discussion and Conclusion,” Miller makes things clear: “I have not by any means proven that the shrines of Khidr all overlay Iron Age temples of Baal” (80), he writes, but a great many of these shrines do exhibit this kind of historical development. Miller calls this phenomenon “mythical continuity,” in which “a mythological character remains, with nearly identical enduring characteristics but is no longer identified or named in the context of their original mythology and is instead embedded within a new mythic discourse” (80). The location (and often a specific date) transcend individual traditions. In this case, those characteristics include both narrative motifs, such as dragon-slaying, and ritual performances, such as the sacrifice of sheep. In fact, the retention of the location most likely plays some role in the recurrent narrative motifs.
In the end, Miller claims that, rather than dragon-slaying, the important association of the three figures is instead fertility. It feels like a non-sequitur, coming as it does at the end, but this conclusion has support throughout the survey of sites.
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[Review length: 584 words • Review posted on February 18, 2022]