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Al-lāt
EntityQ6183204· pop 45· linked from 538 articles

Also known as Allat, Allatu, Alilat, Allāt

Al-Lat (, ), also spelled Allat, Allatu, and Alilat, is a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess, at one time worshipped under various associations throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca, where she was worshipped alongside Al-Uzza and Manat. She was depicted as the feminine counterpart, consort, or daughter of Allah. The word Allat or Elat has been used to refer to various goddesses in the ancient Near East, including the goddess Asherah-Athirat. She also is associated with the Great Goddess.

Key facts

Deity.type
Arabian
Deity.name
al-Lat
Deity.deity_of
Goddess of war, peace, combat, and prosperity
Deity.image
Allat_Palmyra_RGZM_3369.jpg
Deity.caption
Al-Lāt with a palm branch and her lion from the Temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, first century AD, Damascus, Syria
Deity.symbol
Lion, gazelle, crescent, cubic rock
Deity.cult_center
Palmyra, Iram, Ta'if (according to Islamic sources)
Deity.siblings
Al-Uzza, Manat
Deity.children
Dushara (Nabataean tradition)
Deity.region
Arabia
Deity.Roman_equivalent
Minerva
Deity.Greek_equivalent
Athena
Deity.equivalent1_type
Canaanite
Deity.equivalent1
Astarte, Atargatis
Deity.equivalent2
Allatu
Deity.equivalent2_type
Carthaginian

via Wikipedia infobox

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Etymology and name
  • Attestations
  • Pre-Islamic era
  • Islamic tradition
  • Quran and Satanic Verses incident
  • The "Grinder" legend
  • Mythological role
  • Iconography
  • Modern relevance
  • See also
  • Explanatory notes
  • References
  • Citations
  • General and cited sources
  • External links

Al-Lat (, ), also spelled Allat, Allatu, and Alilat, is a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess, at one time worshipped under various associations throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca, where she was worshipped alongside Al-Uzza and Manat. She was depicted as the feminine counterpart, consort, or daughter of Allah. The word Allat or Elat has been used to refer to various goddesses in the ancient Near East, including the goddess Asherah-Athirat. She also is associated with the Great Goddess.

The worship of al-Lat is attested in South Arabian inscriptions as Lat and Latan, but she had more prominence in north Arabia and the Hejaz, and her cult reached as far as Syria. The writers of the Safaitic script frequently invoked al-Lat in their inscriptions. She was also worshipped by the Nabataeans and was associated with al-'Uzza. The presence of her cult was attested in both Palmyra and Hatra. Under Greco-Roman influence, her iconography began to show the attributes of Athena, the Greek goddess of war, as well as Athena's Roman equivalent Minerva. According to Islamic sources, the tribe of Banu Thaqif in Ta'if especially held reverence to her.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Al-lāt” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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