Al-Uzza ("The Most Mighty") is a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess, the virgin
warrior and youngest in the triad of goddesses with Menat ("Time", the Death
or Fate goddess, sometimes--I think erroneously--called the Goddess of the
Full Moon, since the Moon in Arabia was masculine) and Al
Lat (whose name means "The Goddess", as Al Lah means "The God").
They survived (a bit) even into Islam, where they are called in the Koran the
three daughters of Allah. The three were worshipped as uncut aniconic stones,
and the "idols" of Al-Uzza and Al Lat were two of the 300+ pagan statues at
the Ka'aba that were destroyed by Mohammed. She is a star-goddess, associated
with the planet Venus, and was honored by the Koreishites (incidentally Mohammed's
tribe) as one of their highest goddesses. She was reputed to accept human sacrifices,
though that comes from Islamic sources, who likely were not unbiased when writing
about the "barbarous ways" of the competition.
Originally Sabean (the culture of the Kingdom of Saba or Sheba in the south
of Arabia, present-day Yemen), worship of Al-Uzza spread all over Arabia. She
had a sanctuary in a valley on the road from Mecca, comprising three acacia
trees in which She was said to descend. Some scholars believe She may even
have been the patron deity of Mecca itself.
The Greeks connected Her with their Urania ("The Heavenly", an epithet of
Aphrodite, as well
as the name of a Muse) and with Caelistis, a Moon Goddess and the Roman name
for the Carthaginian's Tanit. Al-Uzza is also sometimes identified with Isis.
Other sources link Her with Minerva/Athene which would make Her the virgin
warrior goddess. Herodotus says the supreme goddess of the Arabs was Urania,
who he says was called Alilat (i.e., Al Lat), and indeed Al-Uzza was sometimes
confused with Al Lat, leading some scholars to wonder if Al Lat and Al-Uzza
are different regional names for the same goddess.
Al-Uzza is a member of the Nabatean zodiac and has been called the Mistress
of Heaven. She seems to be the premier goddess worshipped in their capital
city, the famous Petra, located in present-day Jordan. Petra was a major stop
on the spice roads and was a very wealthy city. The tombs or temples there
are carved out of the living rock, and the only way into the city is through
a dramatic tunnel-like narrow gorge, nearly a mile long, that suddenly opens
on to the city. (If this sounds familiar, it's because Petra was used as one
of the locations in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".)
Al-Uzza is also the goddess who guards ships on ocean voyages. Though Arabia
is a land of deserts and nomads, the Nabateans did make ocean voyages to trade.
In this aspect She is symbolized by the dolphin, whose habit of swimming alongside
ships made them guardians and protectors. Felines are also sacred to Her, and
the Temple of the Winged Lions at Petra may well be Hers.
Al-Uzza represents confidence, vigilance and preparation. She is fiercely
protective, and is a strong ally in an approaching battle.
Alternate spelling: Al Uzza, al-'Uzza, El-'Ozza, Uzza, Izza.
Also called: Sa'ida 'Uzza ("Blessed Uzza"), as-S'ida ("The Blessed")
For another version of Al-Uzza, with Al-Lat and Manat, go here.
