Milcom
Milcom, national Ammonite deity associated with child sacrifice
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Israel(Israel)⇄ Cultural variants (2)
Origins of Milcom as national Ammonite deity
Milcom emerges as the national deity of the Ammonites in the region of Ammon, present-day Jordan. Condemned in 1 Kings 11:5 for the cult erected by Solomon on the Mount of Olives, it is identified as a regional variant of Molek according to Day (2000). Associated with child sacrifice in Leviticus 18:21 and Jeremiah 32:35, its Ammonite state cult precedes the Josianic reform that eradicates it from the Tophet in the Valley of Hinnom.
Appearance of the idol and incarnate form of Milcom
Milcom manifests as a giant bronze idol with human body and bull head, arms extended to receive child sacrifices and internal fire visible in eyes and mouth. Its rare incarnate form shows a tall male figure with bronze cuirass, bull-horn diadem and red-orange eyes. Symbology includes bull, impure purifying fire, sacrificial knife and extended arms at the Tophet.
Sacrificial cult and prophetic legacy of Milcom
Milcom receives child offerings at the Tophet of Jerusalem before Josiah's reform in 2 Kings 23:10. After its disappearance the cult persists as a warning in prophetic literature. Medieval tradition merges it with Moloch, infernal prince of sacrifices. Related to Baal-Hadad as Canaanite variant and rival of Chemosh, its transformation into Moloch is declared in rabbinic tradition and Milton's Paradise Lost.
Relics
🏺 Giant hollow bronze idol
Symbology
Element
Corrupted yang fire
Number
7
Color
Red bronze
Animals
Bull, Eagle, Goat
Sigils:
🏷️ Traits
Powers
Weaknesses
Behavioral
Resistances
🔗 Relations with other beings
🗺️In the Atlas
Travel the beings’ world of origin and the cosmos of their dimensions.
📜 Mythologies
Gods like Baal and Asherah from ancient Canaan.
Sources
Book of Ezekiel
Ezequiel ben Buzi (atribuido) · c. 593-571 a.C.
The Book of Ezekiel is one of the Major Prophets in the Old Testament, recounting the visions and prophecies of the prophet Ezekiel during the Babylonian exile, including the divine chariot, valley of dry bones, and future temple.
Canaanite Mythology by Mark S. Smith
Mark S. Smith · 2002
Study by the biblical scholar Mark S. Smith on Canaanite religion based on the Ugaritic texts. It analyses the pantheon of El and Baal and their influence on the Hebrew Bible, and is a reference work on the divinities of the ancient Levant.
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