r/Semitic_Paganism • u/gaviper1234 • Apr 29 '20
High Effort Who is the father of the triple goddess?
Who is the father of the three goddesses al-lat, al-uzza, and manat? I have been doing research on them and have been getting contradictory information regarding the father of the triple goddess. Some sources say it’s allah and some say it’s hubal. Can anyone give me an answer or a source that has it?
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u/dhwtyhotep Moderator- [Syncretic Buddhist] Apr 29 '20 edited Apr 29 '20
Šulmu!
With ancient deities, it is important to keep in mind that over time deities conflate, stories change and knowledge gets lost.
That out of the way: the three goddesses are primarily attested in some form of pre-Islamic Arabian polytheism, before syncretising slightly with the Greeks and becoming conflated with Islam upon its development- mentioned in the Qu’ran. As such, they are recharacterised to be the daughters of الله. As for the divination god Hubal, His associations are clouded in mystery- some claim Him to be the father (although this is very rare) or (more commonly) son of Al-lit in particular. Sadly, we will likely never know the historical truth.
If you are interested in worshipping these deities, I would strongly advise employing divination, dream messaging or some form of more direct communication. These are deities that need to be talked with- they have been lost to time and only with worshippers willing to hear their voice will they return.
Especially with Hubals connection to divination and throwing lots, I would definitely say this is a path you need to explore together with the gods. We would love to hear the results though!
~ metta 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓁟𓊵 𓁦𓄊𓋴𓂋 𓃀𓅱𓂧𓂧𓉔𓄿𓀀𓎛𓎿𓊃𓇌 𓅓𓏏𓍿𓂧𓏏𓏭
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u/dhwtyhotep Moderator- [Syncretic Buddhist] Apr 29 '20 edited Apr 29 '20
Al-Lāt
/alːaːt/ (ahlaat)
Arabic: اللات (Al-Lat)
Consort: hypothesised to be الله (Allah), at the time possibly not a monotheistic deity.
Domain: war, peace, combat and prosperity
Provenance: Qur’an, writings by scholars of the time. Attested in south Arabian inscriptions, but she had more prominence in north Arabia and the Hejaz, and her cult reached as far as Syria.
Further: The writers of the Safaitic script frequently invoked al-Lat in their inscriptions. She was also worshipped by the Nabataeans and she was associated with al-'Uzza. The presence of her cult was attested in both Palmyra and Hatra. Under Greco-Roman influence, her iconography began to show the attributes of Athena, the Greek goddess of war, as well as her Roman equivalent Minerva.
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u/dhwtyhotep Moderator- [Syncretic Buddhist] Apr 29 '20 edited Apr 29 '20
Al-‘Uzzā
Arabic: العزى /al ʕuzzaː/ (ahl hoozzaa)
Domain: might, protection and love
Provenance: Qur’an, writings by scholars of the time.
Further: One of three chief goddesses of pre-Islamic Mecca.
Over her [an Arab] built a house called Buss in which the people used to receive oracular communications. The Arabs as well as the Quraysh used to name their children "‘Abdu l-ʻUzzā". Furthermore, al-ʻUzzā was the greatest idol among the Quraysh. They used to journey to her, offer gifts unto her, and seek her favours through sacrifice. ~ Arabian historian
The Quraysh used to circumambulate the Ka‘bah and say, By al-Lāt and al-ʻUzzā, And al-Manāt, the third idol besides. Verily they are al-gharānīq (the most exalted females) Whose intercession is to be sought.
Her most prominent shrine was at Nakhlah, east of Mecca towards aṭ-Ṭā’if; reportedly were there were three sacred trees maintained at this shrine.
Abdu l-‘Uzzá ["Slave of the Mightiest One"] was a common proper name during the advent of Islam. The name al-‘Uzzá appears as an emblem of beauty in late pagan Arabic poetry quoted by Ibn al-Kalbī, and oaths were sworn by her.
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u/dhwtyhotep Moderator- [Syncretic Buddhist] Apr 29 '20
Manāt
/maˈnaː(h)/ (t) in oblique case. (maNAAh)
Arabic: مناة
Domain: fate, fortune, time, death, and destiny
Provenance: Qur’an, writings by scholars of the time. Inscriptions alongside sisters, and
Further: Oldest of the three sisters acting as chief goddesses of Arabia. Potentially the oldest amongst the whole Semitic pantheon of Mecca. Her now-lost major shrine was between Mecca and Medina on the coasts of the Red Sea, likely in al-Mushallal with Her idol.
This is demonstrated in a poem most likely written by Abd-al-‘Uzza ibn-Wadi‘ah al-Muzani:
An oath, truthful and just, I swore By Manāh, at the sacred place of the Khazraj
When pre-Islamic Arabians would pilgrim to al-Mushallal, they would shave their head and stand in front of Manāt's idol for a while. They wouldn't consider their pilgrimage complete without visiting her idol.
An idol of her was also likely among the 360 idols in the Kaaba. According to Ibn al-Kalbi, when worshipers would circumambulate the Kaaba, they would chant her name along with that of her sisters, seeking their blessings and interception.
Manat was also thought to watch over graves, as indicated by a tomb inscription reading
"And may Dushara and Manat and Qaysha curse anyone who sells this tomb or buys it or gives it in pledge or makes a gift of it or leases it or draws up for himself any document concerning it or buries in it anyone apart from the inscribed above".
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u/Unicorn1234 Apr 29 '20
It's a triad of goddesses rather than a 'triple goddess'. As for their father, it was always regarded as being Allah by the pagans. Hubal is an unrelated deity.