 
Asherah is a tree Goddess worshipped by the ancient Jews before they settled on that monotheism thing. She was likely the spouse of Yahweh and closely related to Athirat of the Canaanites; Her name means 'She Who Walks Upon the Sea', as does Athirat's. She has been linked to the Biblical Tree of Life that grows in the center of the Garden of Eden. She can be shown either as a woman or a tree flanked by animals, billy goats or lions, in the old Eastern motif of Mistress of the Animals; She looks to be part of a constellation of very old Goddesses Who share that iconography, which can be found all the way up to Artemis of the Greeks. (I have a suspicion that the famous sculpture of the Lion Gate in Mycenae, which is partially missing but still shows a pillar flanked by lionesses standing on Minoan-style altars, represents that old Great Goddess). I have shown Her here with the Tree of Life embroidered on Her robe; I made it look a little reminiscent of a menorah as that has also been linked with the Tree. She is more or less in the pose of the so-called Judean Pillar Figurines, little household statues of Goddesses probably representing Asherah found all over the Holy Land. She carries wheat sheaves as an emblem of fertility and nourishment. Behind Her is the green of the sunlit Garden. Years later I did a companion piece of the Shekinah, for the same client. This design is available on prints through PayPal and greeting cards through Zazzle. |