ʿAmm ( xsa, 𐩲𐩣, translit=ʿm; ar, عمْ) was a

moon god A lunar deity or moon deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be found ...

worshipped in ancient

Qataban Qataban (Qatabanian: , romanized: , ) was an ancient South Semitic-speaking kingdom of South Arabia (ancient Yemen) which existed from the early 1st millennium BCE till the late 1st or 2nd centuries CE. The kingdom of Qatabān was one of the six ...

, which was a kingdom in

ancient Yemen The ancient history of Yemen (South Arabia) is especially important because Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable popu ...

. 'Amm's name stems from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

word for paternal uncle. The inhabitants of the kingdom referred to themselves as the ''Banu Amm'', or the "Children of Amm". He was also revered as a

weather god A weather god or goddess, also frequently known as a storm god or goddess, is a deity in mythology associated with weather phenomena such as thunder, snow, lightning, rain, wind, storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Should they only be in charge of ...

, as his attributes included lightning bolts. His consort is the goddess

Asherah Asherah (; he, אֲשֵׁרָה, translit=Ăšērā; uga, 𐎀𐎘𐎗𐎚, translit=ʾAṯiratu; akk, 𒀀𒅆𒋥, translit=Aširat; Qatabanian language, Qatabanian: ') in ancient Semitic religion, is a fertility goddess who appears in a ...

, and he was served by the oracle-judge

Anbay Anbay ( Qatabanian: , romanized: , ) is a pre-Islamic deity who was originally worshipped in Qataban, in what is now Yemen. He was regarded as a deity of justice and an oracle, in attendance to the moon deity Amm. Anbay's name was invoked in a ra ...

. According to French archaeologist and biblical scholar Daniel E. Fleming, one possible origin for the title 'Amm or "Children of 'Amm" is speculated to have stemmed from a designation of an earlier group of people who worshiped 'Amm as a central god, with the name 'Amm simply being the title for a forgotten deity whose true designation was not known. Though 'Amm was worshipped into the time of the

kingdom.

Sources

Arabian gods Lunar gods Sky and weather gods Asherah {{MEast-myth-stub