Ba'al is often called the "Son of Dagan," the latter being the equivalent of El in the Syrian pantheon, which implies that Ba'al ("Lord") was an imported deity, namely the Syrian storm god Hadad. Though El and his equivalents in other pantheons were prominent in the Early Bronze Age, during which time their primary function would have been to validate the authority of rulers of the early city states, Ba'al and other storm gods (Marduk, Zeus, etc.) were more directly associated with Justice (symbolized by the mace) and Fertility (symbolized by the lightning tree), which would have had more relevance for the daily lives of the general population and may explain the rise to prominence of the various storm gods in the Middle Bronze Age.
By the end of the Bronze Age, only Israel and some Ishmaelite Kingdoms still venerated El—the Agur and Lemuel of Proverbs 30:1 and 31:1 are mentioned as being of the Ishmaelite kingdom of Massa in the northeastern Arabian Peninsula.
The (114 cm) stele of Ba'al from Ras Sharna shows Ba'al (Storm) standing victorious over Yam (Sea), whom he has defeated with a magical mace and lightning tree in a triumph of "water" (i.e. fresh fresh) over "the waters" (i.e. saltwater). The unusual headdress differs slightly from the one normally associated with Ba'al, which resembles the Hedjet or White Crown of Upper Egypt, which itself resembles a penis (specifically, an uncircumcised penis) that connotes virility. Much more unusual are the bull's horns, long hair and long beard, which are attributes of El. The smaller figure to the right of Ba'al's sword is Anat, the warrior queen of heaven, who contends for Ba'al in his conflicts with Yam (the Sea) and Mot (Sheol).
