Shams (goddess)

Last updated February 21, 2019

Shams or Shamsum, also called Dhat-Ba' dhanum, is a sun goddess of Arabian mythology. She was the patron goddess of the Himyarite Kingdom . Her name meant shining, sun or brilliant. She was the South Arabian equivalent of the North Arabian sun goddess Nuha (deity).

The Ḥimyarite Kingdom or Ḥimyar, historically referred to as the Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans, was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. Established in 110 BCE, it took as its capital the ancient city of Zafar, to be followed at the beginning of the 4th century by what is the modern-day city of Sana'a. The kingdom conquered neighbouring Saba' (Sheba) in c. 25 BCE, Qataban in c. 200 CE, and Haḍramaut c. 300 CE. Its political fortunes relative to Saba' changed frequently until it finally conquered the Sabaean Kingdom around 280. Himyar then endured until it finally fell to invaders from the Kingdom of Aksum in 525 CE.

Nuha is a deity that was worshipped among the Northern Arabian tribes in pre-Islamic Arabia. Associated with the sun, she formed part of a trinity of gods, along with Ruda and Atarsamain. In Southern Arabia, Shams was her equivalent.

Prior to Islam, religion on the Arabian Peninsula focused on local gods, with every tribe and kingdom having their particular protective deities. However, there were also gods common for all Arabs, and the trinity of gods representing the Sun, the Moon and the planet Venus seem to have been worshiped throughout Arabia, though their names, gender and worship differed between regions. Thus, Nuha was the name of the sun goddess in Northern Arabia, while the name of the sun goddess in Southern Arabia was Shams.

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is one God, but three coeternal consubstantial persons or hypostases—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—as "one God in three Divine Persons". The three Persons are distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature" (homoousios). In this context, a "nature" is what one is, whereas a "person" is who one is. Sometimes differing views are referred to as nontrinitarian.

As Nuha, Shams was also worshiped in a trinity alongside the male gods of the Moon and Venus. In Saba', the sun goddess Shams was worshiped with the god of the planet Venus, Athtar, and Almaqah, the god of the Moon. In Hadhramaut, Shams was worshiped with Athtar and the moon god Syn.

The Sabaeans or Sabeans were an ancient people speaking Sabaean, an Old South Arabian language, and living in the southern Arabian Peninsula.

Al-maqah or Al-muqh was a progenitor of the ancient Yemeni kingdom of Saba' and the kingdoms of Dʿmt and Aksum in Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia.

Hadramaut, Hadhramaut, Hadramout, Hadramawt or Ḥaḍramūt is a region on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. The name is officially retained in the Hadhramaut Governorate of the Republic of Yemen. The people of Hadhramaut are called Hadhrami, and speak Hadhrami Arabic.

Shams was described as the spouse of Athtar. She was given votive offerings in the shape of horses.

In Mesopotamia, Athtar was identified with the goddess Ishtar, and Shams with the sun god Shamash.

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References

Encyclopedia of World Religions , Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2006
Yoel Natan, Moon-o-theism, Volume I of II
Tenri Journal of Religion, Tenri University Press, 1975

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