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Anat was one of the chief deitiesgod or goddess of the Canaanites, a people of Syria and Palestine in the ancient Near East. A goddess of love, fertility, and war, she was the sister and wife of the god Baalgod of the ancient Near East associated with fertility and rain. Although best known as a warrior goddess, Anat was also worshiped as the queen of heaven and as a mother goddess. In art, she often appears as a young woman wearing a helmet and armed with a shield, battle ax, and spear.

Canaanite myths show Anat as a fierce and pitiless warrior who destroyed Baal's enemies. According to one tale, Baal was taken to the underworldland of the dead and killed by Mot, the god of death. Furious, Anat descended to the underworld and killed Mot, ripped...