Asherah

Asherah is the name of a Canaanite goddess who was worshipped in a large part of the ancient Near East. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word Asherah is also frequently used to refer to a wooden pole that represented the goddess.

In the ancient Babylonian Era, Asherah was said to be the consort of the Amorite god Amurru. In Ugarit, she was the consort of El, the highest god. She was the mother of seventy gods, including Baal.

In Israel, various inscriptions have been found that mention Asherah. Those inscriptions speak of “YHWH and his Asherah”. Most likely, Asherah was sometimes seen as the consort of YHWH, and worshipped in that way. Her role would have included interceding for the people with YHWH.

We also know about Asherah from the Old Testament. Asherah is mentioned as the name of a goddess, but often the word Asherah refers to a wooden pole that represented the goddess. Such Asherah poles are thought to be a fixture at the local sites for sacrifice in Israel where gods were worshipped. Sometimes Asherah was worshipped alongside the God of Israel, and sometimes alongside Baal. These religious practices are criticised in Scripture.

The texts in the Old Testament that mention Asherah are very negative about the worship of this goddess. By worshipping Asherah, the Israelites were said to have contributed to the demise of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (see for example 2 Kings 17:16).