Uzza

`Uzza (Arabic عزى [ʕuzˈzaː] Antiɡuo Arabic [ʕuzˈzeː]): in pre-Islamic Arabia she was one of the three daughters of the supreme god.

The name of this deity can also be found transcribed as Ozza, sometimes preceded by the Arabic article al-. The word is from the same root as `izza: "glory" and means "Powerful". Regarding the meaning of her name, we find another meaning in addition to the one mentioned: "the most beloved", according to Jairath Al-Saleh in his book & # 34; Fabulous cities, princes and jinn of Arab mythology & # 34; (1990 /28).

The sisters of this deity were the goddess Al-Zuhara and the goddess Al-lat. In general, Uzza is associated with Al-Zuhara (goddess of love and beauty in South Arabia), since both were star goddesses who personified the planet Venus (only visible at sunrise [Uzza] and sunset [Zuhara]), but in the cult it was more linked with Al-lat, since sometimes Uzza and Al-lat formed a trinity together with Manat or the god Hubal. Often Uzza and Al-lat received worship together.

Uzza, Al-lat and Manat were the three protective goddesses of Mecca. In addition, Uzza was the main goddess of the Kuraischite tribe, as well as deity of the Kenauah tribe and goddess of part of the Salim tribe. When they went to fight, the Kuraischite clans carried replicas of Allat and Uzza in order to instill courage and devotion in the warriors. Apparently she was a cruel goddess, to whom she only appeased the shedding of blood, both human and animal.

Uzza is cited as a synonym for beauty in pre-Islamic poetry.

His main sanctuary was in an oasis called Najla, located to the east on the road from the city of Taif. Also in the city of Mecca Uzza he had a temple and a hima, where, adorned with precious stones, gifts of gold and silver were offered to him.

The cult of Uzza seems to come from Petra, where she was a Nabataean version of the fertility goddess present in Near Eastern and Mesopotamian mythologies (Istar, Astarte, Aphrodite, Venus...). According to some authors, the Ghatafan tribe worshiped the acacia or the thorny blackthorn of Egypt under this name. The first to consecrate this tree for religious purposes was Dhalem. He erected for him a small temple called Boss, built in such a way that it gave a particular sound every time someone entered it. In the year 8 of the Hegira, Khaled, son of Walid, destroyed and burned the temple and the idol or sacred tree by order of Muhammad.

The destruction of the temple of Uzza at the hands of Khaled

After the Prophet Muhammad's victory over the Kuraischite tribe, both Al-lat and Uzza were destroyed. It is said that Khalid ibn al-Walid, considered a great Muslim hero, went to demolish the temple of Uzza, and the first thing he did was cut down the three large palm trees that were sacred to the goddess. As he struck the last of them with his sword, a black, matted-haired female demon appeared before him, gnashing her teeth, threatening him. The priest guarding the temple rushed to the aid of his goddess, but Khalid was apparently too strong and slew both the demon and the priest. He then smashed the effigy to pieces and reduced the temple to ruins, so that the power of the goddess in that land was forever destroyed.