Translations:Allāt/5/en

Worship

Regardless of a polytheistic or dualist worldview, it’s clear that Allāt played a major role in the Nabatean and other Arabian pantheons. She was regarded as the mother of other gods, worshipped in the legendary city of Iram and was the patron-deity of Bosra. In the Hellenistic era She took up the iconography of Athena/Minerva. The name Wahballāt (gift of Allāt) was often translated into Greek as Gift of Athena. Herodotus associates Her with Aphrodite Urania (Heavenly Aphrodite) and this stellar aspect is reflected in Palmyra where Arab families would sometimes invoke their patron deity as Allāt, and sometimes as Astarte. She's best attested in Safaitic inscriptions where She's the most frequently invoked deity. In these Safaitic inscriptions the author would write their name, address the deity, and then request something such as safety, relief, or wealth. Allāt was mostly invoked for safety and security, such as when herding goats, or for relief from sickness. Unlike in the Nabatean pantheon where gods were referred to as the gods of the king, Allāt is a personal deity. She was invoked for day-to-day requests by Arab nomads. Further south in Dedan, the center of the Lihyanite kingdom, Allāt was secondary to the main deity, Dhul-Ghabat, and found in personal names. The fact that She's not as well attested in Dedan might mean that She was introduced from the north. She's also found in Duma and in Thamudic inscriptions scattered around the Arabian peninsula. In South Arabia, amulets belonging to women inscribed with the name Allat and sometimes along with Alʿuzza suggests that these two goddesses were patron-protectors of women.