Editing Resheph (section)

===Ugaritic texts===
The corpus of [[Ugaritic texts]] has been described as “one of the most abundant collections of data concerning Resheph”.{{sfn|Münnich|2013|p=124}} It has been proposed that he arose to prominence in this city in the late [[Bronze Age]].{{sfn|Buck|2019|p=265}} He was associated with both plague and war.{{sfn|Rahmouni|2008|p=299}} He was also connected to the underworld.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=282}} 

====Associations with other deities====
Ugaritic and Akkadian god lists from [[Ugarit]] indicate that the theological view that Resheph and [[Nergal]] were analogous to each other was also accepted in this city.{{sfn|Streck|2008|p=252}}

Some evidence exists for an association between Resheph and [[Ashtart]] reflecting their shared features, though it is not extensive.{{sfn|Smith|2014|pp=65-66}}

In the standard Ugaritic lists of deities, Resheph follows “auxiliary gods of [[Baal]]” ([[Ugaritic]]: ''il t‘ḏr b‘l'') and precedes [[Dadmiš]].{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=15}} Manfred Krebernik suggests that she might have been linked to Resheph in some way, possibly as his spouse, and additionally points out her name might be related to the Mesopotamian goddess [[Tadmuštum]], who was associated with the underworld.{{sfn|Krebernik|2013|p=205}} Nicolas Wyatt argues that based on their placement in lists it can be assumed that they were counted among Baal's divine helpers,{{sfn|Wyatt|2007|pp=74-75}} but Dennis Pardee maintains that there is no evidence in favor of viewing either of them as closely linked to the weather god.{{sfn|Pardee|2000|p=315}}

====Worship====
The offering list corresponding to the standard deity lists assigns a [[sheep|ram]] to Resheph as a sacrifice, similarly as to most of the other deities mentioned.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=48}} In another offering list, he follows [[Shapash]], the sun goddess.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=19}} Yet another similar text places him after Tiraṯu (a deity representing young [[wine]]) and before a [[Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostasis]] of [[Anat]], designated by the term ''ḫbly''.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=21}} He received an ewe as a burnt sacrifice in this case.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=69}} He also appears in a ritual which took place in Ra’šu-Yêni,{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=63}} “first of the wine”, the last month in the Ugaritic [[lunar calendar]], seemingly on the roof of the temple of [[El (deity)|El]], where shrines were set up for various deities in presence of the king.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|pp=56-57}} In this case, he received an ewe as a burnt offering, after a similar sacrifice made to [[Ṯukamuna-wa-Šunama]], and later separately a ram as a “peace offering”.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=63}} RS 19.013, a tablet describing one of the so-called “contemplation rituals” whose form and function remain uncertain, also involves Resheph.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|pp=72-74}} He is additionally mentioned alongside various other deities in a short prayer for well-being,{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=152}} which according to Dennis Pardee might list gods viewed as the sons of El.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=150}} Furthermore, the only among the many votive objects found in Ugarit to be identified by an accompanying inscription as an offering to a specific deity is a drinking vessel shaped like a lion's head, which a certain Nūrānu dedicated to "Resheph-''guni''" (''ršp gn'').{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=126}} Pardee assumes that the second element of the name is a toponym, Gunu, according to him a city located somewhere in [[Syria]],{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=283}} though it has also been suggested that this term refers to the royal [[necropolis]] in Ugarit, and that it might be related to [[Eblaite language|Eblaite]] ''gunnum''.{{sfn|Streck|2008|p=253}}

A [[Dual (grammatical number)|dual]] or [[plural]] form of Resheph's name, ''ršpm'', is also attested in ritual texts.{{sfn|Krebernik|2013|p=200}} Sacrifices to this group of deities took place in the royal palace.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=215}} Manfred Krebernik presumes it can be connected to his various [[Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostases]] attested in Ugaritic texts, such as ''ršp idrm'' (meaning unknown), ''ršp bbt'' (“Resheph of Bibitta”), ''ršp mhbn'' (“Resheph of Mōhāban”), ''ršp mlk'' (“ Resheph of Mulukku”), ''ršp ṣbi'' (“Resheph of the army”) and  ''ršp ḥgb'' (possibly “Resheph of [[locusts]]”).{{sfn|Krebernik|2013|pp=199-200}} 

Eighty seven inhabitants of Ugarit bearing [[theophoric names]] invoking Resheph have been identified in known texts, with four of them being scribes.{{sfn|van Soldt|2016|p=100}} This makes him the third most common of the deities attested in this context,{{sfn|van Soldt|2016|p=105}} with El and [[Baal]] being more popular and Shapash and [[Teshub]] appearing with comparable frequency.{{sfn|van Soldt|2016|p=102}} The element ''ḥgb'' also appears in theophoric names on its own,{{sfn|Krebernik|2013|p=200}} with twenty five individual examples known, and Wilfred H. van Soldt proposed interpreting it as an attribute of Resheph in this context.{{sfn|van Soldt|2016|p=99}}

====Mythology====
Despite being frequently mentioned in ritual texts and theophoric names, Resheph does not play a large role in [[Ugaritic mythology]].{{sfn|van Soldt|2016|p=105}} In the ''[[Epic of Keret]]'', he is responsible for “carrying off” the fifth wife of the [[Kirta|eponymous king]].{{sfn|Münnich|2013|p=125}} The term used has a broad meaning and the exact way in which she died cannot be established.{{sfn|Münnich|2013|p=146}} Mark S. Smith has also proposed that Habayu, who in the literary text KTU 1.114 attacks drunk [[El (deity)|El]] and smears him with excrement, might be another name of Resheph.{{sfn|Smith|2014|p=50}}

In the text ''[[Hauron|Horon]] and the Mare'', Resheph is invoked from Bibitta,{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=176}} a city in [[Anatolia]].{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=283}} He is asked to remove poison alongside many other deities.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=176}} A thematically similar text dealing with removal of serpent venom focused on [[Shapash]]{{sfn|Pardee|2002|pp=179-180}} invokes him alongside [[Yarikh]] in a sequence of pairs of deities, after El and Horon, [[Baal]] and [[Dagan (god)|Dagan]], and [[Anat]] and [[Ashtart]].{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=183}}

====Divination====
In an [[omen]] text, RS 12.061, Resheph is addressed as the doorkeeper of the sun goddess [[Shapash]].{{sfn|Pardee|2002|pp=131-132}}{{sfn|Krebernik|2013|p=200}} According to Dennis Pardee, it can be assumed that he functioned as an [[underworld]] deity, and that he was responsible for opening the gates of the underworld to let her undertake the nightly portion of her journey.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=133}} However, the text is likely an allusion to an [[astronomical]] phenomenon as well.{{sfn|Münnich|2013|p=148}} While attempts have been made to identify it as a report of a [[solar eclipse]], according to Pardee it describes a period of five days during which the planet [[Mars]], corresponding to Resheph, has been observed at sundown, before its [[heliacal setting]] made that impossible on the sixth day.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=131}} Maciej M. Münnich notes that based on Mesopotamian evidence it is possible that Mars was regarded as an ill omen in Ugarit.{{sfn|Münnich|2013|p=148}}

RS 24.247+, an Ugaritic omen compendium which deals with teratomancy (telling the future based on observation of malformed animal [[fetus]]es) in a manner similar to [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] ''[[Šumma Izbu]]'',{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=135}} states that an animal born with short legs foretells a situation in which “Resheph will consume the progeny”.{{sfn|Pardee|2002|p=140}}