ʿAmm (; ) 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 foun ...

worshipped in ancient

Qataban Qataban () was an ancient Yemenite kingdom in South Arabia that existed from the early 1st millennium BCE to the late 1st or 2nd centuries CE. It was one of the six ancient South Arabian kingdoms of ancient Yemen, along with Sabaʾ, Maʿīn ...

, which was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. 'Amm's name stems from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

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 (; ; ; ; Qatabanian language, Qatabanian: ') was a goddess in ancient Semitic religions. She also appears in Hittites, Hittite writings as ''Ašerdu(š)'' or ''Ašertu(š)'' (), and as Athirat in Ugarit. Some scholars hold that Ashera ...

, and he was served by the oracle-judge Anbay. 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