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
Mesopotamian deities

Adad | Amurru | An/Anu | Anshar | Asshur | Abzu/Apsu | Enki/Ea | Enlil | Ereshkigal | Inanna/Ishtar | Kingu | Kishar | Lahmu & Lahamu | Marduk | Mummu | Nabu | Nammu | Nanna/Sin | Nergal | Ningizzida | Ninhursag | 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.

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
  • *Haddu / *Hadadu (Storm God: akk. Adad, ug. hd, phoin. Adodos ). The meaning of the name is probably “thunderer”.
    • This god is also known as *Baʻlu "man, husband, lord" (akk. Bel, ug. bʻl, phoin. bʻl / Belos, hbr. Ba'al ).
  • *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

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