Yarikh
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Deities of the ancient Near East |
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Religions of the ancient Near East |
Yarikh (also written as Jerah, Jarah, or Jorah, Hebrew spelling ירח) is a moon god in Canaanite religion whose epithets are "illuminator of the heavens", "illuminator of the myriads of stars" and "lord of the sickle". The latter epithet may come from the appearance of the crescent moon. Yarikh was recognized as the provider of nightly dew, and married to the goddess Nikkal, his moisture causing her orchards to bloom in the desert. The city of Jericho was a center of his worship, and its name may derive from the name Yarikh, or from the Cannanite word for moon, Yareaẖ.[1] It seems to have Hurrian roots and may be connected with Kušuḫ, the Hurrian moon god.[2]
South Semitic variation[]
This deity was also known in the South Semitic languages as the following:
- Sabaean language: Ya Rehuhm
- Mofarite: Ya Rekuhn
- Geez language: Ya Rekan
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Strong's Bible Dictionary". Htmlbible.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Wyatt, Nick (1998). Religious Texts from Ugarit: The Words of Ilimilku and His Colleagues. Sheffield Academic Press. p. 336. ISBN 1850758476. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
Categories:
- Lunar gods
- Phoenician mythology
- Middle East mythology stubs
- History stubs
- Phoenicia stubs