#mekar

[lavb-b]

More Zelda Pixels :]

Starving Artist has singlehandedly made me improve (somewhat) in pixel art!!

[bronzegods]

Mekal (or Mekar), the lord of Beth-Shean

I strongly hold that the Baal Cycle is not "Canaanite mythology." The Ugarites themselves identified Canaanites as "foreign people," and Mot, in particular, is strongly suspected to be a literary invention of Ilumilku, the scribe who wrote the Baal Cycle. To subsume the myths under the vague title of 'Canaanite mythology' is a disservice to Ugarit and its creativity, in my opinion.

So that naturally brought a question to mind: are there any Bronze Age deities who are distinctly Canaanite?

Enter Mekal/Mekar. A Fresh Look at the Mekal Stele (Levy 2018) introduces us to a deity who was attested in northern Palestine during the Bronze Age.

(Levy 2018: 361)

That "r" at the end of his name can be either an "r" or a Semitic "l", hence the Mekal/Mekar options for his name. And he's attested as the lord of Beth-Shean (or Bit-Shani, if you fancy the syllabic Akkadian transcription). How cool is that?

Some thoughts about this deity: his iconography is closely aligned with Baal's known iconography from the time period (which should make one wonder if there isn't some possible synchronization afoot, as if Seth-Baal wasn't strong enough evidence, lol), with one caveat: he has Resheph's headband. So some differences!

What I draw from that is Mekal/Mekar is a Baal-like deity but with some differences. In the Pantheon universe, thus, Mekal is primarily a vegetation god with some rain-bringing abilities, not a storm god proper. He doesn't have the weather manipulation capability that Baal does, but he's good at making flowers and helping agriculture grow!

Given the strong Egyptian influence here, Mekal strikes me as the type who really likes lotuses, too. Maybe he really looks forward to the few visits that Nefertem makes in the foreign northern lands? Well, assuming Sekhmet's willing to let him out...

Anyway, Beth-Shean is a major Egyptian administrative center in the Late Bronze Age, so Sutekh likely stops in Beth-Shean often before continuing onward to Gubla (Byblos), another Egyptian holding. Mekal, with his minimal attestation, seems like a very young god (and it's suspicious that he's not attested afterward). Perhaps he was educated in Kemet as a godling and then brought back to Beth-Shean to rule it, as the Egyptians were known for doing with foreign princes. Couldn't get him to get rid of the beard, though. Some cultural influences refuse to die.

Artwork commissioned from Eaglidots

[bonusdragons]

November 12, 2023:

Sanddollar Secondary, Obelisk, Smoke.

Mekar of williwawwarden's clan!

[herupras]

bermekaran

tidak ada bunga yang mekar hari ini. kesedihan baru saja mematikan bunga terakhir yang hampir tumbuh. atau mungkin kau sedang bersikeras merawat tangkai-tangkai layu di tempat lain, menyirami dengan harap dan ingatan-ingatan yang telanjur membatu di dadamu. aku tunggu, sampai gelisahmu yang kian hari kian mengembang pecah dan tak mampu kau kenali lagi.

hari ini masih tidak hujan, aku masih berpikir bagaimana caranya bunga bisa tumbuh dengan baik jika kekurangan air? tapi siapa juga yang peduli dengan pikiranku, semesta merawat segala yang tumbuh dengan hati-hati. semoga kau juga, aku mengaminkan cara paling baik semesta merawat senyummu.

jika senggang, taman di dadaku masih lapang. kau bisa menanam apapun yang kau suka selain kesedihan yang rumit itu. aku akan riang merawatnya dengan hati-hati.

— bdg, oktober 2024.

[queenaya22]

Bunga mekarpun tidak selalu bersamaan, mereka punya waktu sendiri yang telah Tuhan tetapkan. Tenang saja, setiap makhluk punya takdir yang telah digariskan, maka tak ada yang perlu dicemaskan. selagi menunggu tiba giliran, persiapkan apa yang sedang menjadi tujuan, sampai datang waktu yang telah ditentukan. Maka, kokohkan dulu akarmu, kuatkan dulu batangmu, lebarkan dulu daunmu, hingga ketika bungamu mekar, semua bagian telah siap untuk menopang. Yakinlah, kau akan temui hadiah terindah sebagai buah dari kesabaran.

T.W || 01.04.24 || 20.15

[babibubabo]

Semua Bunga Pasti Akan Mekar

Satu pot. Dua pot. Tiga pot. Empat pot. Lima pot. Seorang anak menghitung banyaknya pot bunga di teras. Ibunya berkata bahwa itu bunga. Awalnya sang anak tetap bersikeras bahwa itu hanyalah sebuah daun berwarna-warni. (more…) “”

[fishfingersandscarves]

maharet and mekare!

[ven0mvamp1re]

mekare & maharet

[misslovelace]

maharet and mekare. inspired by a pic of elyanna

[kaelio]

ok post these at people OK. people on Twitter are still getting these confused.

[swedenis-h]

Heart and Mind (X)

Just in case the link doesn’t work:

[wizardpink]

The meaninglessness of a concept like marriage to immortal blood drinkers, and the nature of IWTV as a gothic horror aside, I do like to go full ooc fluff and think about Daniel and Armand having the first ever Jewish Muslim Gay Vampire wedding.

[dihuaexchange]

To: @wouldyoulikeacupofteadear

From: @mekare-art​

Note: Thank you for your wonderful prompt, it was a joy to work on this! I tried to combine both your prompts: best dog and domestic. I hope you like it.

Title: At Home

[joinmeindeathh]

Maharet and Mekare :)

[fenicenera83]

De Romanus Coven Halloween Event:

DAY 2

Theme -> Witches

1-Prompt-> Suspiria/Maharet & Mekare

[butchfairyzine]

Artist spotlight- Wyld Fairies: Mekarer and Spiderthread!

"Mekarer is a hobby illustrator and an art student. He has a strong love for anything whimsical, the stars, and queer art. "

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"Spiderthread is a self-taught artist who lives somewhere by the ocean and draws inspiration from animation and games as well as history and nature. You can typically find her drawing, hiking, or befriending local cats." Find them at @spiderthread

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Kickstarter launches on the 22nd of July!