Asherah

The Mother of the Gods

Domain: Motherhood, Sea & Fertility
Alignment: Neutral Good
Element: Water
Relics of Power: Sacred Pole

Speak with Asherah

The People

People

Canaanites & Phoenicians

Region

Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel)

Period

c. 3000 – 300 BC

The Canaanite gods were worshipped by the peoples of the Levant, including the Phoenicians, great navigators and traders of the Mediterranean. Headed by El and the storm god Baal, they were honored in cities such as Ugarit, Tyre, and Carthage. Their myths, rediscovered on the Ugarit tablets, closely echo the biblical traditions.

Worship followed Baal's agricultural cycle, with autumn festivals calling for the rains and laments for his descent into the world of the dead. The faithful worshipped at the "high places" (bamot) and in city temples, with stone steles, incense, and animal sacrifices.

The Sacred Scrolls

Asherah, or Athirat, is the great Canaanite mother goddess, wife of El and mother of the gods. Called 'She Who Treads on the Sea', she is the divine matriarch, source of fertility and life. As consort of the supreme god, she intercedes with El on behalf of the other gods and of mankind. As The Mother of the Gods, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the cananeus pantheon. Their domains over Motherhood, Sea & Fertility reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The sacred tree, the wooden pole, the lion and the sea

Divine Lineage

Wife of El; mother of the seventy gods of the Canaanite pantheon.

The Legendary Myth

In the Ugaritic texts, it is Asherah who intercedes with El so that Baal may obtain permission to build his palace, showing her influence over the elder of the gods.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the cananeus recounts the journey when Asherah intervened directly in the lives of mortals.

Cult & Worship

Historically, the cult of Asherah occupied a central place in the religious and architectural calendar of antiquity.

Relics of Power

The tree or wooden pole raised in her honor, symbol of springing life and the fertile womb.

Did You Know?

Ancient inscriptions at Kuntillet Ajrud mention 'Yahweh and his Asherah', suggesting that, at one time, she may have been venerated as the consort of the god of Israel himself.