iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Arabian Mythology

Myths of the Fertile Crescent
series
Mesopotamian mythology
Ancient Arabian mythology
Ancient Levantine mythology
Pre-Islamic Arabian gods
This box:  •  • [ edit]
''This is a sub-article to Pre-Islamic Arabia
Arabian mythology comprises the ancient, pre-Islamic beliefs of the Arabs. Prior to the arrival and initial codification of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula in 622, year one of the Islamic calendar, the physical centre of Islam, the Kaaba of Mecca, did not hold only the single symbol of "the God" as it does now. The Kaaba was instead covered in symbols representing the myriad demons, djinn, demigods and other assorted creatures which represented the profoundly polytheistic environment of pre-Islamic Ancient Arabia. We can infer from this plurality an exceptionally broad context in which mythology could flourish.

Relation with Islamic mythology

Stories of genies, magic lamps, flying carpets, and wishes contained in tales from the Arabian Nights and other works have been passed down through the generations. Islamic mythology has probably been influenced to a large degree by Arabian mythology and the two are often difficult to distinguish.

The concept of the Evil Eye is mentioned in the Qur'an, in Surat al-Falaq (in which one is told to seek refuge "from the mischief of the envious one as he envies"). The Hand of Fatima is sometimes used to neutralize the effect of Evil Eye, though its use is forbidden in Islam, as are all talismans and superstitions. Among traditional muslims, various verses from the Qur'an such as an-Nas and al-Falaq are sometimes recited for blessing, or protection from such superstitions.

See also

Sources

  • Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia by Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (ISBN 0-292-70794-0)
The Religions of the Ancient Near East were mostly polytheistic, with some early examples of emerging Henotheism (Akhenaton, early Judaism). Especially the Luwian pantheon exerted a strong influence on the Ancient Greek religion, while the religion of Elam influenced the
..... Click the link for more information.


    Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    In the Levantine pantheon, the Elohim are the sons of El the ancient of days (olam) assembled on the divine holy place, Mount Zephon (Jebel Aqra). This mountain, which lies in Syria, was regarded as a portal to its heavenly counterpart.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Ancient Southwest Asian deities
    Levantine deities
    Adonis | Anat | Asherah | Ashima | Astarte | Atargatis | Ba'al | Berith | Dagon | Derceto | El | Elyon | Eshmun | Hadad | Kothar | Mot | Moloch | Qetesh | Resheph | Shalim | Yarikh | Yam

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Bel (Akkadian bēlu), signifying "lord" or "master", is a title rather than a genuine name, applied to various gods in Babylonian religion. The feminine form is Belit 'Lady, Mistress'.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Abgal is a pre-Islamic north Arabian god, known from the Palmyrian desert regions as a tutelary god of Bedouins and camel drivers.[1]

    References

    1. ^ Jordan, Michael (July 1993).

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Aglibôl was a lunar deity in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. His name means "Calf of Bel" ("Calf of the Lord"). He is depicted with a Lunar halo decorating his head, and sometimes his shoulders, and one of his attributes is the sickle moon.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Mentioned in the Qur'an (Sura 53:20), Allāt (a contraction of pre-Arabic *al-ilāhat "the Goddess") was a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Astarte (from Greek Αστάρτη (Astártē)) is the name of a goddess as known from Northwestern Semitic regions, cognate in name, origin and functions with the goddess Ishtar in Mesopotamian texts.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    For the metal band, see Atargatis (band).


    Atargatis, in Aramaic ‘Atar‘atah, was a Syrian deity, "the great mistress of the North Syrian lands" Rostovtseff called her,[1]
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Ishtar (DIŠTAR ������) is the Assyrian and Babylonian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    BES may be:
    • Banco Espírito Santo, a Portuguese banking group
    • British Ecological Society, a professional society for ecologists
    • BlackBerry Enterprise Server
    • Benghazi European School
    • Bes, an Egyptian God
    • bes (coin) a Roman coin denomination
    • b

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Gumhūriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyyah
    Arab Republic of Egypt


    Flag Coat of arms
    Anthem
    Bilady, Bilady, Bilady
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Manāt was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca.[1] The pre-Islamic Arabs believed Manāt to be the goddess of fate and the oldest of the three "Daughters of God".
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Munaf (Arabic: مناف) is one of the pre-Islamic polytheist gods of Mecca. The statue of this god was caressed by women, but when they had their periods they were not allowed to near it. [1] .
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    The name Nergal (or Nirgal, Nirgali) refers to a deity in Babylonia with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Nabu is the Babylonian god of wisdom and writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of Marduk and his consort, Sarpanitum, and as the grandson of Ea. Nabu's consort was Tashmetum.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Al-Qaum (القوم) is the Nabataean god of war and the night, and guardian of caravans. Large numbers of inscriptions bearing his name have been found, and archaeologists believe that he was a major god of the Nabataean pantheon.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Nanna (also called Suen) is a Sumerian god in Mesopotamian mythology. He is the god of the moon and the son of Enlil and Ninlil. His sacred city was Ur. The name Nanna is Sumerian for "illuminator.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    For the synagogue personality, see .
    Shamash was the common Akkadian name of the sun-god and god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Mentioned in the Qur'an (Sura 53:20), al-ʕuzzā "the Mightiest One" or "the strong" (derived from the root ʕzy) was a pre-Islamic Arabian fertility goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Wadd "Love, Friendship", known variously as Ilumquh, ʕAmm and Sīn, was the Minaean moon god. Snakes were believed to be sacred to Wadd. He is mentioned in the Qur'ān (71:23) as a deity of the time of the Prophet Noah.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Yaghūth (Arabic "He Helps" يَغُوثَ) is an idol referred to in the Qur'an (71:23) as a god of the era of the Prophet Noah.

    The name may be the source of H. P. Lovecraft's Yuggoth.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    According to the Qur'an, Ya'uq was a deity worshipped in the days of Noah. Cults worshipping this idol existed in Muhammad's day as well.

    Sources

    • Encyclopedia Mythica
    • The Book of Idols (Kitab Al-Asnam) by Hisham Ibn Al-Kalbi: Ya'uq

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Malakbêl, 1st century CE, found near Bir Wereb, Wadi Miyah, Syria, Louvre Museum.]] Malakbêl was a sun deity of the city of Palmyra in pre-Islamic Syria. The meaning is in Aramaic “Messenger of Baal" ("Messenger, or Angel, of the Lord").
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Pre-Islamic Arabia, the history of Arabia before the rise of Islam in the 630s, is not known in great detail. Archaeological exploration in the Arabian peninsula has been sparse; indigenous written sources are limited to the many inscriptions and coins from southern Arabia.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter.
    Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards.

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism.
    If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or .
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية, or جزيرة العرب) is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    6th century - 7th century - 8th century
    590s  600s  610s  - 620s -  630s  640s  650s
    619 620 621 - 622 - 623 624 625
    ..... Click the link for more information.


    This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
    Herod_Archelaus


    page counter