Arabic mythology
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Prior to the arrival and inital codification of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula in 622 CE (year one of the Islamic calendar), the physical centre of Islam, the Kaaba of Mecca, did not hold only the single symbol of "the God" as it does now. The Kaaba was instead covered in symbols representing the myriad demons, djinn, demigods and other assorted creatures which represented the profoundly polytheistic environment of pre-Islamic Arabia. We can infer from this plurality an exceptionally broad context in which mythology could flourish.
The Arabian deities included :
- El or Ilah (meaning 'God')
- Bel or Belshamin
- Yarhibol or Malakbel
- Aglibol
- a number of astral and local deities
- Sin (or Nanna-Suen, Babylonian)
- Athtar (related to Ishtar)
- Shams (Samas or Utu)
- Orotalt
- Alilat (al-Lat?)
- Nergal
- Nabu (or Nebo)
- Bes (Egypto-Arabic)
- Uzza
- Yaghuth
- Manat or Manah
- Atargatis (Syrian)
- Astarte (possibly)
- Beltis (possibly)
See Demons in pre-Islamic Arab Culture.
The pre-Islamic arabs, such as the Garamantes, were influenced by the religions of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians. These pre-Islamic mythological systems also later influenced Islamic mythology.Template:Myth-stub
See also
Sources
- Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia by Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (ISBN 0292707940)