Anat

Anat was a principal deity among the Canaanites, an ancient people of Syria and Palestine. She was a goddess of love, fertility, and war, and the sister and wife of the god Baal. While she is most renowned as a warrior goddess, Anat was also revered as the queen of heaven and a mother goddess. In depictions, she is often shown as a youthful woman wearing a helmet and equipped with a shield, battle ax, and spear. Canaanite myths portray Anat as a fierce, relentless warrior who vanquished Baal's enemies. One legend recounts how Baal was taken to the underworld and slain by Mot, the god of death. In her fury, Anat descended to the underworld, killed Mot, and dismembered his body. Her warlike nature made her a beloved deity of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, who saw her as a protector in battle. Similar warrior goddesses were worshiped in other ancient cultures, including the Semitic Astarte, the Sumerian Inanna, and the Babylonian Ishtar. Anat's Greek counterpart was Athena.