Arsu
| Arsu | |
|---|---|
God of the evening star | |
| File:Ag-obj-6832-001-pub-large.jpg Relief showing Arsu from Temple of Adonis, Dura-Europos | |
| Planet | Mercury, Venus (as the Evening Star) |
| Genealogy | |
| Siblings | Azizos |
| Equivalents | |
| Arabia | Ruda |
| Part of a series on Ancient Semitic religion |
| Levantine mythology |
|---|
| Deities |
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Arsu was a god worshipped in Palmyra, Syria.
A deity known from Syrian and northern Arabian lands, being represented as either male or female (most often). Arsu was connected with the evening star.
Frequently portrayed as riding a camel and accompanied by his twin brother Azizos; both were regarded as the protectors of caravans. His worship is also confirmed by material evidence found in the Temple of Adonis, Dura-Europos. In the temple complex there was a relief depicting Arsu on a camel. The inscription under the figure reads: "Oga the sculptor has made (this to) 'Arsu the camel-rider, for the life of his son".[1] It is likely he was associated with the planet Mercury early on.[2]
Elsewhere in pre-Islamic Arabia, he was equated with Ruda (literally benign).
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Finn Ove Hvidberg-Hansen: Arsu and 'Azizu A Study of the West Semitic "Dioscuri" and the Gods of Dawn and Dusk (= Historiske-filosofiske Meddelelser. Band 97), p. 7. Selskab 2007, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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