Yariḫ

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Yariḫ (Jarich) is a Northwest Semitic name for a moon god .

etymology

The name of the moon god is related to the Akkadian name warchum, warach , which was optionally used for moon or month . The form Jarach is explained by the fact that in Northwest Semitic the initial w became j . In contrast to Akkadian, the Canaanite languages mostly differentiate between the moon and the month : the root jr-ch is used for moon (compare Hebrew ירח), for month the root ḫ-d-sh with the basic meaning new , compare Hebrew חדש Month , actually new moon .

distribution

The earliest testimonies to the god can be found in lexical texts from Ebla towards the end of the 3rd millennium. In the Mari texts (early 2nd millennium), Yariḫ appears as a theophoric name element in names such as Abdu-Erach . The figure of the Yariḫ is widely attested in the texts from Ugarit . It appears both in literary texts and in proper names. The text KTU 1.24 - it is probably a translation from the Hurrian - deals with the heavenly wedding of Yariḫ and the moon goddess Nikkal . Otherwise, however, Yariḫ in Ugarit seems to be clearly subordinate to the sun goddess Šapšu . The Canaanite Onomasticon of the 1st millennium also knows names that are compounded with Yariḫ, such as Phoenician and Ammonite . In the epigraphic Hebrew such names are so far not attested, but biblically z. B. in Gen 10,26  EU ( Jerach ) etc.

The name of the god can also be found in city names such as Jericho or Bet Jerach .

See also

literature

Notes and evidence

  1. ↑ Dietz-Otto Edzard and a .: Real Lexicon of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archeology, Vol. 8, de Gruyter, Berlin 2004, p. 364.