Abgal (god)

Abgal (Arabic: أبغال) was a pre-Islamic Arabian god, whose worship is attested by inscriptions dating to the Palmyrene Empire – he is thought to have been primarily worshipped by nomads.

Overview[]

Abgal is known as a tutelary deity of the Arabs (or jinn) in the Palmyra region. Representations of him are of a youth with long hair and a moustache, wearing local garb, and holding a lance. He had a Greco-Roman style temple at Khirbet Semrin where he is portrayed on a relief riding a horse, equipped with bow and quiver attached to the saddle.^[1]

A stele with imagery of Abgal and Ashar, and earlier inscriptions at Kirbet-Semrin dates the active 'worship' of this jinn to between 154 and 270 AD – references to the deity appear in the Palmyrene Empire but curiously none have been found at Palmyra itself.^[2] A monument from (153AD) mentions him together with the deities Bel, Baalshamin, Aglibol, Malakbel, Astarte, Nemesis, and Arsu,^[3] though according to Teixidor 1979 he was a god of nomads, and usually mentioned in association with nomadic gods such as Azizos, , Ashar, or Shalman.

According to (Drijvers 1980) representation of such deities (also Arsu, , and ) as armed and mounted men in statuary in a pair together was common across the desert regions of Syria/Mesopotamia – and together these representations may have represented divine protection.^[4]

References[]

^ Teixidor 1979, pp. 80–81.
^ Teixidor 1979, p. 81.
^ Teixidor 1979, p. 82.
^ Drijvers 1980, pp. 159–160.

Sources[]

Teixidor, Javier (1979), The pantheon of Palmyra, Leiden: Brill
Drijvers, H.J.W. (1980), Cults and Beliefs and Edessa, ISBN 90 04 06050 2

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[FOOTNOTETeixidor197980–81-1] Teixidor 1979, pp. 80–81.

[FOOTNOTETeixidor197981-2] Teixidor 1979, p. 81.

[FOOTNOTETeixidor197982-3] Teixidor 1979, p. 82.

[FOOTNOTEDrijvers1980159–160-4] Drijvers 1980, pp. 159–160.

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