Asirat (or Asyrtu , Asiratu ; Hittite Ashert , Amorite Ashratu , later in Hebrew Asher , other Hebrew אשרה ; “erected” [1] ; also “happy”; “rewarding with happiness” [2] ) - Ugrian - Phoenician and Canaanite goddess, character of West Semitic mythology ; the foremother and mistress of the gods, the wife of the supreme Ugaritic god Ilu (El, Semitsk. "god").
| Asiratu (Ashera - Hebrew. אשרה) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mythology | West Semitic mythology , biblical studies |
| Terrain | Ugarit , Phenicia |
| Name interpretation | see etymology |
| Floor | |
| Occupation | supreme mother goddess |
| Spouse | Ilu |
| Children | 70 children - gods |
| Attributes | wooden pillar - “oak idol”, grove of trees |
In the biblical Old Testament, it is almost always mentioned next to Baal (Baal). In the form of a tree or a tree trunk ( al-Heb. אשרה כל עץ ), it symbolized the universe or nature next to the ruler of the world - Baal; therefore, her image was also placed on the altar of this god or nearby ( Judges 6:28 ) [2] . The synodal translation conveys the word “Ashera” as “grove”, “oak grove”, “oak idol”, “tree” and “ Astarta ”.
The hills of Asherat on Venus are named after her.
Content
- 1 Etymology
- 2 Ugaritic myths
- 3 Old Testament
- 4 Yahweh and his Asher
- 5 notes
- 6 Sources
- 7 References
Etymology
The origin of the name Asher remains uncertain. Scientists have put forward several alternative hypotheses, below are some of them.
- Connection with the Hebrew name Asher . It is believed that the name of the eighth son of Jacob is associated with the deity Asher or Oshri, bringing good luck. Such an opinion is based on an analysis of Genesis. 30:13, in which Leah , having given birth to a son, exclaims: באשרי "be-oshri", literally - "to my luck." Some scholars are inclined to see in this exclamation a mention of the deity of fortune. If this interpretation is correct, then Asher may be a feminine form named after the deity Asher or Oshri. In biblical Hebrew, Escher means "happiness."
- Communication with the Akkadian “asyrm” is a sacred place.
- Ashera is the abbreviation of a longer title, meaning "Madame, corrected the Sea." This etymology implies that Ashera is a destroyer of water chaos, like the victory of Marduk over Tiamat .
- The connection with the Ugaritic verb ʼṯr is “follow”. The noun “asher”, formed from this verb, originally could mean “companion”, “wife”.
- Ishtar is the Babylonian goddess.
Ugaritic Myths
Texts found in the ancient city-state of Ugarit are the main source of information about Asher. In the Baal Asher cycle (Asiratu), this is the supreme mother goddess, wife of the head of the pantheon Ilu . In the Legend of Karat, the temple of Ashera is mentioned in the country of the Tyrians and Sidonians , which allows us to conclude that the cult of Ashera was spread in Phenicia. Asher and Astarte should not be identified, since in Ugaritic myths they are two different characters.
Old Testament
The term "asher" occurs about forty times in the Masoretic edition. In most cases, the term refers to a cult object that can be made, cut down and burned [3] (Deuteronomy 7.5).
In 3 Kings. 15:13 it is said that King Asa stripped his mother Maah of the title of queen because she made Asher’s idol ( miplet ) (Hebrew miflecet of Laasher , Vulg .: In sacris Priapt - the idol of the phallic cult , the most disgusting for Jews). Asa chopped off the miplet and burned it at the stream of Kedron . It seems that this text describes the influential queen of the Jews as a participant in the cult of Ashera.
3 Kings 18:19 tells of the 400 prophets of Ashera eating from the table of Queen Jezebel .
Yahweh and his Asher
The inscriptions found in Kuntilil Ajrud and Kirbet el Kom have sparked a lively discussion among scholars about the role of Ashera in the Hebrew religion . Both inscriptions contain a blessing addressed to Yahweh and “his asher” in order to gain protection. The question remains, what does the word "Ashera" mean - the name of the goddess or object used in the cult of Yahweh . In the Hebrew language, pronoun suffixes are not attached to proper names, therefore, the mention of “his Asher” indicates that it is more about an object, not a goddess. On the other hand, it is doubtful whether the object of blessing used to gain protection and patronage has a wooden pillar. If the inscriptions speak of the goddess Asher, then this means that she played a significant role in the religion of the ancient Israelites, acting as the wife of Yahweh . Perhaps many of the female figures from terracotta found in ancient Israel represent Asher.
In honor of Ashera, the asteroid (214) Asher , discovered in 1880, is named.
Notes
- ↑ From Dr. Heb. ישר-אשר , "be direct"
- ↑ 1 2 Asher // Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron . - SPb. , 1908-1913.
- ↑ But do this to them: destroy their altars, crush their pillars, and cut down their oak forests ( ushers ), and burn their idols [gods] with fire (Deuteronomy 7.5)
Sources
- K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible DDD, Eerdmans Publishing, 1999, ISBN 0-8028-2491-9
- David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, Astrid B. Beck Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible, Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0-8028-2400-5
- Judith M. Hadley, The cult of Asherah in ancient Israel and Judah, Cambridge University Press, 2000