Bel (mythology)

Bêl (/ˈbeɪl/; from Akkadian: bēlu) is a title signifying 'lord' or 'master' applied to various gods in the Mesopotamian religion of Akkad, Assyria, and Babylonia.

Bel was especially used for the Babylonian god Marduk in Assyrian and neo-Babylonian personal names or mentioned in inscriptions in a Mesopotamian context.

Other gods called "Lord" were sometimes identified totally or in part with Bel Marduk.

The god Malak-bel of Palmyra is an example, attested as a messenger of Bel but existing as a deity separate to Bel/Marduk.

Current scholarship holds this as incorrect, but Bel is used in referring to Enlil in older translations and discussions.