Some Intercultural Roots of Pura?ic Mythological Cycle around Naraya?a

In this paper, I use the structural analysis of myth proposed by C. Levi-Strauss to show that there is a structural similarity between two mythological cycles of dying(sleeping)-and-rising god: around Ba'al and around Naraya?a. On the one hand, the West Semitic myth of Ba'al and the Pura?ic myth of Naraya?a have different descriptions and assume different cults. On the other hand, we can detect a homotopy equivalence among mythemes of both cycles - i.e., a functional similarity in their characters and subordinations. As we know, the earliest Pura?ic texts are dated from the second century AD. The myth about Ba'al appeared not later than the fifteenth century among West Semitic peoples and was popular among the Hittites, too. From the structural similarity between Ba'al and Naraya?a myths it follows that the Pura?ic myth of Naraya?a is much older than it is dated now.

Automated summary

This paper uses the structural analysis of myth proposed by C. Levi-Strauss to examine the structural similarity between the mythological cycles of Ba'al and Naraya?a. Despite their different descriptions and cults, there is a functional similarity in their characters and subordinations. Moreover, the study suggests that the Naraya?a myth is much older than its current dating based on the structural similarity with the Ba'al myth.