Semitic gods and goddesses
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Ancient Southwest Asian deities | |
Levantine deities | |
Adonis | Anat | Asherah | Ashima | Astarte | Atargatis | Ba'al | Berith | Dagon | Derceto | El | Elyon | Eshmun | Hadad | Kothar | Mot | Qetesh | Resheph | Shalim | Yarikh | Yam |
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Mesopotamian deities | |
Adad | Amurru | An/Anu | Anshar | Asshur | Abzu/Apsu | Enki/Ea | Enlil | Ereshkigal | Inanna/Ishtar | Kingu | Kishar | Lahmu & Lahamu | Lilith | Marduk | Mummu | Nabu | Nammu | Nanna/Sin | Nergal | Ninhursag/Damkina | Ninlil | Tiamat | Utu/Shamash |
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Semitic gods refers to the gods or deities of peoples generally classified as speaking a Semitic language. As Semitic itself is a rough, categorical term, the definitive bounds of the term "Semitic gods" are likewise only approximate.
A topic of particular interest is the transition of Semitic polytheism into our contemporary understanding of monotheism by way of the god El, a name of the god of Judaism and cognate to Islam's Allah.
Scholars have speculated that the "transition" from polytheism to monotheism was likely a form of theological supremacy — by which the theology of a supreme deity, the "One God," naturally grew from the supremacy of a particular culture to which that "One God" was favorable toward. (See covenant.) Thus, as the culture and people expanded, their monotheistic beliefs and specific God was carried with them.
[edit] Proto-Semitic Gods
This is a partial list of possible Proto-Semitic deities.
(akk. Akkadian-Babylonian; ug. Ugaritic; phoin. Phoinician; hebr. Hebrew; Arab. Arabic; OSA. Old South Arabic; eth. Ethiopic)
- *Ilu "god" (Supreme God: akk. Ilu, ug. il, phoin. ’l / Ēlos, hebr. Ēl / Elohim, OSA. ’l ). The Arabic Name Allāh is al-ilah "The God".
- *Aṯiratu (Ilu's wife: ug. aṯrt, hebr. Ašērāh'' OSA. ’ṯrt ).
- She is also called *Ilatu "goddess" (akk. Ilat, phoin. ’lt, Arab. Allāt ).
- Also related (linguistically) are *ʻAṯtaru (God of Fertility: ug. ʻṯtr, OSA ʻṯtr, eth. ʻAstar ) and
- *ʻAṯtartu (Goddess of Fertility: akk. Ištar, ug. ʻṯtrt, phoin. ʻštrt / Astarte hebr. ʻAštoreṯ ). The meaning of the names are unknown.
- Also related (linguistically) are *ʻAṯtaru (God of Fertility: ug. ʻṯtr, OSA ʻṯtr, eth. ʻAstar ) and
- She is also called *Ilatu "goddess" (akk. Ilat, phoin. ’lt, Arab. Allāt ).
- *Haddu / *Hadadu (Storm God: akk. Adad, ug. hd, phoin. Adodos ). The meaning of the name is probably “thunderer”.
- *Śamšu "sun" (Sun goddess: ug. špš, OSA: šmš, but akk. Šamaš is a male god).
- *Wariḫu "moon" (Moon god: ug. yrḫ, hebr. Yārēaḥ, OSA. wrḫ ).
See also Indoeuropean Pantheon