EL

Hebrew, be. One of the Hebrew names of God, signifying the Mighty One. El, the first letter with a short sound, is the common pronunciation but perhaps more correctly should be sounded as if spelled ale. It is the root of many of the other names of Deity, and also, therefore, of many of the sacred words in the high Degrees. Bryant (Ancient Mythology i, 16) says it was the true name of God, but transferred by the Sabians to the sun, whence the Greeks borrowed their helios. Here we may add that the speculations of Bryant are by a later generation deemed less valuable than formerly.