Asherah
Ancient Near East Subjects. A page
dedicated to difficult to find historical
subjects about ancient civilizations in the
Near East, such as the Hebrews, Arabs, Islam,
with this link specifically discussing the subject
Ashera.
She was the Canaanite Mother goddess, associated with lions, serpents, and trees. The word is used many times in the Bible, usually referring to a statue of a stylized wooden tree. There is evidence, both archeologicaland in the Bible, that some Israelites worshiped Asherah (Ben-Tor, Society of Ancient Israel). Some even when so far as to make her El's consort (Coogan, Stories of Ancient Canaan). In several places in the Bible it is said that an "Asherah tree" stood in the Temple in Jerusalem (2Kings 18.4, 21.7, 23.6). She is linked to Lilith in the concept of a consort for El, which is one explanation of the Lilith legend. The Persian Goddess Astarte is thought to be Asherah's counterpart, which would explain the Hebrew woman Hadassah being willing to take the name Eshter, a corruption of the name Astarte(Est 2:7).
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