Misor was the name of a deity appearing in a theogeny provided by Roman era Phoenician writer
Philo of Byblos in an account preserved by
Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...
in ''
Praeparatio Evangelica'',
[van der Toorn, K. et al., ''Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996, entry ''Zedeq''] and attributed to the still earlier
Sanchuniathon
Sanchuniathon (; Ancient Greek: ; probably from Phoenician: , "Sakon has given"), also known as Sanchoniatho the Berytian, was a Phoenician author. His three works, originally written in the Phoenician language, survive only in partial paraphras ...
. He was one of two children of the deities Amunos and Magos. The other named was
Sydyk
Sydyk (, in some manuscripts ''Sydek'' or ''Sedek'') was the name of a deity appearing in a Theogony, theogeny provided by Roman-era Phoenician writer Philo of Byblos in an account preserved by Eusebius in his ''Praeparatio evangelica'' and attribu ...
. It is said that these two were the first to discover the use of
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
. The names "Misor" and "Sydyk" mean "Straight" and "Just" (or, in another translation, "Well-freed" and "Just").
Misor's son was named
Taautus
Taautus of Byblos, according to the Phoenician writer Sanchuniathon, was the son of Misor and the inventor of writing, who was bequeathed the land of Egypt by Cronus.
Sanchuniathon's writings, through the translation of Philo, were transmitted to ...
, and believed to be the inventor of the first written alphabet.
["From Misor was born Taautus, who invented the first written alphabet" (Eusebius, ''Praeparatio Evangelica'' (book I, chapter 10), E. H. Gifford (1903) translation)]
References
Phoenician mythology
{{Phoenicia-stub