Hebrew Goddesses
Asherah
Topics covered in this document:
Introduction
The goddess Asherah was perhaps the earliest female deity to be
worshipped by the Children of Israel.
Other Cultures
She is mentioned in many of the contemporary cultures.
Canaanite Asherah
Asherah was the chief goddess of the Canaanite pantheon. And
archaeological evidence points to her extreme popularity among the
Hebrews.
Her period of popularity stretched from the time the Hebrews arrived
in Canaan, and for about six centuries after, until the destruction of
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.
Ugaritic Asherah
In Ugaritic mythology, Asherah was the wife of El, the chief god. (The
city, Ugarit, is near the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean, where
modern Ras Shamra now exists.)
The name, Asherah, appears on 14th Century BC clay tablets, written
in Ugaritic, a language quite close to Biblical Hebrew. Her full name
is "Lady Asherah of the Sea," and she ruled the oceans while El ruled
the heavens.
Sumerian Asherah
She also appears in Sumerian and Akkadian myth as Ashratum, the
bride of Anu.
Formal and Familiar Names
Most ancient Syrian deities had two names -- a formal name and
a familiar name.
Asherah = Elath
Lady Asherah of the Sea was also called Elath, a familiar name
meaning Goddess.
Father Shunem = El
Her husband's formal name was Father Shunem, or more properly,
El (meaning God, which is the root of Elohim, the Hebrew god).
Hadd = Baal
Asherah's son, Hadd, is almost always called Baal (meaning Master).
Astarte = Anath (Ashtoreth)
Her daughter, Astarte, was also called Anath, or Ashtoreth in the Bible.
Parents of Gods
El and Asherah are the ancestors of all the other gods (70 in number,
which number is seen frequently throughout the Bible). Two of their
best-known children are Baal and Anath (also known as Astarte or
Ashtoreth).
Wet Nurses to Gods and Princes
The mother-daughter pair, Asherah and Anath, served as wet nurses for
the entire pantheon of gods ... and even, I might add, for some fortunate
human princes. Having the goddesses as a wet nurse gave the princes a
necessary link to the gods.
Grove Worship
It was inevitable that the cult of this Canaanite mother goddess should
work its way into the Hebrew religion. And in fact, you find a host of
references to Asherah in the Old Testament ... often recognized because
Asherah worship took place primarily in groves.
Popularity
Judging from the large number of Asherah figurines found by archaeologists,
without a matching number of male figurines, the worship of the goddess
must have been extremely popular in all segments of Hebrew society.
Fertility Goddess
Her popularity might have been improved by the belief that she promoted
fertility in women and facilitated childbirth.
Asher
Belief in her fertility powers might have prompted the proclamation of
Leah at the birth of Zilpah's son, whom she named Asher (Gen. 30:10-13).
What Next?
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