The text of John's journal page, as seen in ep 2x01 of Supernatural

[darkhavens]

I spent an hour or so squinting at screencaps of the journal pages and managed to get most of the left page transcribed, then googled HADAD and MOT to see what came up and discovered that the journal text is a word-for-word reproduction of the MOT page at Wikipedia. *headdesk*

NB The same text can also be found elsewhere online.

I have assumed (from what little of the text is legible) that the facing page, entitled THE GRIM SPECTRE OF DEATH, continues the text as seen in Wiki:

REAPERS

REAPERS - Mot 'Death', son of 'El, according to instructions given by the god Hadad (Ba‘al) to his messengers, lives in a city named hmry ('Mirey'), a pit is his throne, and Filth is the land of her heritage. But Ba‘al warns them:

that you not come near to divine Death,
lest he made you like a lamb in his mouth,
(and) you both be carried away like a kid in the breach of his windpipe.

Hadad seems to be urging that Mot come to his feast and submit himself to Hadad.

Death sends back a message that his appetite is that of lions in the wilderness, like the longing of dolphins in the sea and he threatens to devour Ba‘al himself. In a subsequent passage Death seemingly makes good his threat, or at least is deceived into believing he has slain Ba‘al. Numerous gaps in the text make this portion of the tale obscure. Then Ba‘al/Hadad's sister, the warrior goddess ‘Anat, comes upon Mot, seizes him, splits him with a blade, winnows him in a sieve, burns him in a fire, grinds him between mill-stones and throws what remains on the field for the birds to devour.

But after seven years Death returns, seeking vengeance for the splitting, burning, grinding, and winnowing and demanding one of Ba‘al's brothers to feed upon. A gap in the text is followed by Mot complaining that Ba‘al

THE GRIM SPECTRE OF DEATH

has given Mot his own brothers to eat, the sons of his mother to consume. A single combat between the two breaks out until Shapsh 'Sun' upbraids Mot, informing him that his own father 'El will turn against him and overturn his throne if he continues. Mot concedes and the conflict ends.

In Sanchuniathon also Death is son of 'El and counted as a god, as the text says in speaking of 'El/Cronus:

... and not long afterwards he consecrated after his death another of his sons, called Muth, whom he had by Rhea; this (Muth) the Phoenicians esteem the same as Thanatos ['Death'] and Pluto.

But earlier in a philosphical creation myth Sanchuniathon has referred to great wind which merged with its parents and that connection was called Eros 'Desire':

From its connection Mot was produced, which some say is mud, and others a putrescence of watery compound; and out of this came every germ of creation, and the generation of the universe. So there were certain animals which had no sensation, and out of them grew intelligent animals, and were called "Zophasemin," that is "observers of heaven"; and they were formed like the shape of an egg. Also Mot burst forth into light, and sun, and moon, and stars, and the great constellations.

The language here is confusing, a bad summary and possibly corrupt, and the form Mot here is not the same as Muth which appears later. But it may be that the full and coherent account would have made clear that muddy and putrescent Death is the source of life.

Mot Wikipedia page
Hadad Wikipedia page

Comments

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*soothes the lump on your forehead* Wow, that really shows dedication. *is in awe* But you obviously got satisfaction from figuring it out. Well done. *strokes the dent in your desk*

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I have a teeny obsession with reading stuff - I have been known to pause movies when the camera pans past a bookshelf, just so I can check to see if I've read any of them. *g*

[donella.livejournal.com]

Wow! Good job!

[hphilalexandros.livejournal.com]

Holy Butt-holes Batman! That is sooo cool!!!!!! I'm sooo freaking ecstatic