13: The Canaanite Mother Goddess, Asherah

The Goddess Divine Podcast

This week I am sharing the story of the ancient Canaanite mother goddess, Asherah.
Asherah was a prominent goddess in the ancient world, particularly in the Canaanite and Israelite religions. Here's a breakdown of her key aspects:

• Role: Asherah was a powerful mother goddess, often associated with fertility, sexuality, and warfare.
• Titles and Relationships:
  • In Canaanite religion, she was the consort of El, the chief god, and considered the mother of the gods.
  • She was sometimes linked with other goddesses like Astarte and Anath.
  • The Bible mentions Asherah (or Asherahs, referring to cultic objects) as a potential consort of Yahweh (God) in some interpretations, although this is debated by scholars.
• Worship: People worshipped Asherah through various practices, including offerings, rituals, and possibly sacred trees.
• Legacy: Asherah's worship challenged the dominance of the Israelite god Yahweh, and references to her were sometimes removed or downplayed in the Bible. However, her influence remains evident in archaeological finds and ongoing scholarly discussions.

If you wish to learn more about this goddess, please check out the following source material I used for this episode:
Sources:

1. Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Ugarit
2. New World Encyclopedia, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Asherah
3. Spar, Ira. “The Gods and Goddesses of Canaan.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cana/hd_cana.htm (April 2009)
4. When God was a Woman, Merlin Stone, 1976.
5. Canaanite Deities, https://www.sots.ac.uk/wiki/canaanite-deities/
6. The Israelites, New World Encyclopedia, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Israelites
7. Curtis, Adrian. Ugarit (Ras Shamra). Cambridge: Lutterworth, 1985.
8. Ugarit, The Met, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ugar/hd_ugar.htm
9. The Queen of Heaven: Asherah, Baal Kadmon, 2017.
10. The Hidden Goddess: The Quest for the Divine Feminine in the Judeo-Christian Tradition - from Asherah to Mary Magdalene, Laurie Martin-Gardner, 2020.
11. Bible Odyssey, https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/ahab/
12. Baal, Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity
13. Ackerman, Susan. “The Queen Mother and the Cult in Ancient Israel.” Journal of Biblical Literature 112 (1993): 385–401.
14. Asherah: Asherim, Susan Ackerman, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/asherahasherim-bible
15. Ugarit and the Old Testament, Peter C. Craige, 1983.
16. Medium Article, Deanna Riddick, https://medium.com/@riddickdm/the-goddess-asherah-queen-of-heaven-mother-of-creation-by-deanna-riddick-fdc8063db74b