Shams, also called or ''Shamsum'' or ''Dhat-Ba' dhanum'', is a
sun goddess of
Arabian mythology
In pre-Islamic Arabia, the dominant religious practice was that of Arab polytheism, which was based on the veneration of various deities and spirits, such as the god Hubal and the goddesses al-Lāt, al-‘Uzzā, and Manāt. Worship was ...
. She was the patron goddess of the
Himyarite Kingdom
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
. Her name meant 'shining', 'Sun', or 'brilliant'. She was the South Arabian equivalent of the North Arabian sun goddess
Nuha.
Prior to Islam, religion on the Arabian Peninsula focused on local gods, with every tribe and kingdom having their particular protective deities. However, there were also gods common for all Arabs, and the
trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
of gods representing the Sun, the Moon and the planet
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
seem to have been worshipped throughout Arabia, though their names, gender and worship differed between regions. Thus, Nuha was the name of the sun goddess in Northern Arabia, while the name of the sun goddess in Southern Arabia was Shams.
As Nuha, Shams was also worshipped in a trinity alongside the male gods of the Moon and Venus. In
Saba'
Sheba, or Saba, was an ancient South Arabian kingdom that existed in Yemen from to . Its inhabitants were the Sabaeans, who, as a people, were indissociable from the kingdom itself for much of the 1st millennium BCE. Modern historians agree th ...
, the sun goddess Shams was worshipped with the god of the planet Venus,
Athtar, and
Almaqah
Almaqah or Almuqh (; ) was national deity of the Sabaeans of the pre-Islamic Yemeni kingdom of Saba', representing the Moon or Sun god. He was also worshipped in Dʿmt and Aksum in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The main center for his worship was at th ...
, the god of the Moon. In
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...
, Shams was worshipped with Athtar and the moon god
Syn. Shams was described as the spouse of Athtar who is also known as 'Attar. 'Attar is a God of War and also a giver of water that is essential to life. The antelope is sacred to him and a symbol of his is the spear-point. She was given votive offerings in the shape of horses.
In Mesopotamia, Athtar was identified with the goddess
Ishtar
Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...
, and Shams with the sun god
Shamash
Shamash (Akkadian language, Akkadian: ''šamaš''), also known as Utu (Sumerian language, Sumerian: dutu "Sun") was the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian Solar deity, sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in t ...
.
According to Peter Stein, the "Hymn of Qaniya" is dedicated to this goddess.
Gallery
File:South Arabian - Stele with a Female Bust - Walters 2173.jpg, Sculpture of a Sabaean priestess raising her hand to intercede with the sun goddess on behalf of a donor. Probably first century.
See also
*
List of solar deities
A solar deity is a god or goddess who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The following is a list of ...
*
Utu
Shamash ( Akkadian: ''šamaš''), also known as Utu ( Sumerian: dutu " Sun") was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in the world every day, and was therefore responsible for justice and protection ...
, also known as Shamash
References
Bibliography
''Encyclopedia of World Religions'' Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2006
* Yoel Natan,
Moon-o-theism, Volume I of II'
* ''Tenri Journal of Religion'', Tenri University Press, 1975
*
*
Arabian goddesses
Solar goddesses
Himyar
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