Goddess of the Week

Al-'Uzza is a Goddess Who was held in high esteem by the pre-Islamic Arabs, especially those of the Quraysh tribe of the area around Mecca, who counted in their number one Mohammed, who would found the religion known as Islam. Her name means 'the Mighty One', and She was worshiped as a baetyl, or block of stone (carved or uncarved) in that area. She is closely associated with the Arabian Goddesses al-Lat (whose name means 'Goddess') and Manat ('Fate'); sometimes They are all called the daughters of al-Lah ('God').

According to the Kitab Al-Asnam, or Book of Idols, by Hisham Ibn-al-Kalbi (c. the 9th century CE) in Mecca the Quraysh would ritually circle the Ka'aba (a holy place long before the advent of Islam) and chant:

By Allat and al-'Uzza,
And Manat, the third idol besides.
Verily they are the most exalted females
Whose intercession is to be sought

Al-'Uzza was also an important Goddess to the Arabs up in Petra in modern Jordan; She may have been the main Goddess worshiped there. She is known to have had a major temple in that city, though which one is not known; the Greeks identified Her with their Aphrodite Ourania.

The relief on the little round tholos (temple-like structure) of the Khasneh in Petra is likely al-'Uzza; though it is much defaced, it shows a Goddess robed in the Greek style carrying a cornucopia and a patera. She is thought to be syncretized with both the Egyptian Isis and the Greek Tykhe, their Goddess of good fortune; in the Roman world the equivalent Goddess would be Fortuna. (The Romans incidentally linked Isis with Fortuna, worshiping Them in one as Isis-Fortuna.) Tykhe was also considered a protective Goddess of individual cities; though it is hard to make out, the Goddess in relief on the Khasneh may also wear Tykhe's turret crown as city guardian. This may mean She was considered the protective Goddess of Petra, one Who looks after the good fortune of the city.

At al-'Uzza's shrine in the Hurad valley not far from Mecca, visitors could receive oracles, presumably from the Goddess. She also had three acacia trees holy to Her there, which were cut down at Mohammed's command; according to legend, when the last was slated to be cut, an 'Abyssinian woman with disheveled hair' was found there in much distress. Mohammed's minion killed Her on the spot; the Prophet later remarked, 'That was al-'Uzza. But she is no more. ... Verily she shall never be worshipped again.' Well. I beg to differ.

Al-'Uzza is linked somewhat tenuously to the planet Venus as the morning star; I assume this is through the association the Greeks had with their Aphrodite Ourania, Aphrodite of the Heavens.

Calm and the level gaze, that small but bright Star of truth held in the corner of the eye; that's what I'm getting for the week ahead, the week that includes Christmas, not generally a calm one for most of us in the western world. There is a solidity, now, though, if you can tap into it; in some ways the low point of the year, the low point of the sun's cycle, that darkest, longest, night, is the most grounded time. This is the time of calm, and night, and the dark, and the sun going down down down into the dark, and then standing still for a moment as we all hold our breaths. Try to remember that, I think, in this busy busy week. That calmness is there, inherent to this time.

She says:

Fix your gaze on the light, on that little point, that Star; keep me in your sight. You need not always follow, but know I am there.

I am ally, friend, protectress, Powerful One. I guard, I prosper you, I amend you. I make you whole. I am pieces, myself. I am the scrub-tree in the desert, old and tough and beautiful beyond thought. I watch, I wait, I endure. I am still here. I am thorns and dry bark and fragrant bloom. I teach patience and strength. I win because I will wait.

I am the dry riverbed, the rain gleaned in the rock-cut channels. I am almost as old as Time; I am the uncut Stone.

Ask me; I hear you and I will answer. I am still the Mighty One.

What do you think?

References:

There is quite a good article here on al-'Uzza (though it could use a bit of proofreading).

The Kitab Al-Asnam, or Book of Idols, by Hisham Ibn-al-Kalbi (737-819CE), English translation here. Be warned: though it's just the straight-up text from the 1952 translation by Nabih Amin Faris and appears perfectly reputable (I've seen the Book of Idols text linked from educational sites, for instance), the rest of the site is an evangelical Christian one. I'd advise not backing up into the main site of that one unless you've a stronger stomach than I do.

Goddess of the Week

Al-Uzza is a Nabataean and Arabian Goddess, one of a triad with the Goddesses Allat and Manat. Her name means "the Mighty One" and She was most likely the patroness of Petra in Jordan, that fabulous Nabataean city cut from the rocks. She would appear to have been the main Goddess worshiped there, and though Allat (Whose name just means "the Goddess") was also widely worshiped from the Yemen to Palmyra, She is uncommon in Petra itself.

A lot of times, in books not specifically about the Nabataeans, Al-Uzza will be mentioned briefly as a "pre-Islamic maiden warrior Goddess," but I'll be honest here. I know more now. Ten years ago I depicted Al-Uzza as just that (in a ridiculously anachronistic outfit to boot); but I don't know now if that can really be supported.

Now, in books that go into somewhat more depth, She is said to be the Goddess of Venus as the Morning Star, sometimes in a pair with the God al-Kutba as God of the Evening Star; and I suspect someone somewhere assumed Her attributes must then be parallel to Inanna/Ishtar, Who can be a War-Goddess. Now, they are all Semitic Goddesses, it's true, but I'm not sure how far the parallel can be taken. I don't know. I can make better cases for Her sisters in the triad, really--Allat was associated in some cases with the Greek Athena, and Manat, as a Goddess of Fate and Justice, had two swords dedicated to Her in the time of the beginning of Islam.

It is tricky, I admit, to separate Al-Uzza from Allat, as their attributes tend to overlap and shift given geography and time; and also, please bear in mind, I am no expert and am not a scholar, just a well-read amateur.

That said, it is generally accepted that it is Al-Uzza represented by the much eroded statue given place of honor center front on the Khasneh at Petra. (The what? you ask. You've seen it, trust me. Have you seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? You know that fantastic rock-cut building with the columns and odd broken pediment which dramatically comes into view at the end of a mile-long, 300-600 foot deep chasm? That building.) Though quite worn it is possible to make out that She carries a cornucopia and patera (offering dish), indicating a (probable) association with Tykhe, the Greek Goddess of Fortune, Who was also invoked as a protector of cities. There are also images common to the Egyptian Isis on the pediment, which may argue for a further association for Al-Uzza; though the Greeks mainly identified Her with Aphrodite (perhaps due to the planet Venus association).

So. It is not unusual, I think, that Al-Uzza has such a wide range of seemingly disparate associations, given that She was one of the main Goddesses (in some locales the main Goddess) worshiped by the Nabataeans; also, Isis was linked with both Aphrodite and Fortuna (the Roman name for Tykhe) in Roman times.

I was not at all sure how to interpret this card, given that I no longer know what it means, or if the picture I drew is even appropriate (a similar problem, I admit, is what is holding me up on the Benzaiten entry for the book, since the more I learn about that particularly complex Japanese Goddess the less I think my art is appropriate); but then it occurred to me that maybe the picture isn't the message.

It is always amazing to me, though perhaps it should not be, that certain 'themes' seem to pop up simultaneously and independently across the Pagan Blog-O-Sphere. Late last summer it was the observation that the veil was thinning far earlier than usual. Perhaps it is because we Pagans are more open to seeing that sort of thing, or more open, anyway, to acknowledging that we see that sort of thing. And perhaps it is a lack of faith on my part that this surprises me. But this last week or two the theme I keep seeing is a re-working, or re-thinking, or re-evaluating, or a crisis of faith when it comes to religion, Wicca specifically. (Dear Dianne Sylvan's most recent post is really bringing this home to me.) And I can't help but think it is all a symptom of a change--a big change--coming our way. Now, sure, on Tuesday Barack Obama will be sworn in; but this feels, to me, anyway, to be a more general heightening of awareness, and the inauguration is just another effect, not a cause. Something is shifting.

And pulling this card, a picture of a Goddess I surely would not paint in the same way now, I feel it is telling us that now is the time to let go of old ways of thinking, to commit to some deep reflection on what no longer serves us; and to, most importantly, be flexible enough, and forgiving enough, to admit it to ourselves.

I almost forgot. What does She have to say about all this?

Change is sudden and clean, like the edge of a knife or a sword's edge; clean and cutting like the light of the Star through the dawn. New day, new way of life, new everything; do your best to make it clean so it heals well. Also, love: deep love. I watch and protect; and I am far greater than you imagine. I am the Mighty One, after all. I am very strong.

What do you all think? Do you feel this change, this shift, as well?

Here's my original article on Al-Uzza; though I don't know about the Warrior Goddess bit anymore, it's still pretty sound, I think. Also, here's the link to a much more recently written article on Al-Uzza, Allat, and Manat, though I still have Al-Uzza down as a Warrior. I suppose it will take completing the Nabataean section of the Obscure Goddess Online Directory to get it straightened out, if then. Until that time, I fear I must say please don't quote me on it.