Yarikh


Yarikh is a moon god in Canaanite religion whose epithets are "illuminator of the heavens"', "illuminator of the myriads of stars" and "lord of the sickle". The latter epithet may come from the appearance of the crescent moon. Yarikh was recognized as the provider of nightly dew, and married to the goddess Nikkal, his moisture causing her orchards to bloom in the desert. The city of Jericho was a center of his worship, and its name may derive from the name Yarikh, or from the Cannanite word for moon, Yareaẖ. It seems to have Hurrian roots and may be connected with Kušuḫ, the Hurrian moon god.

South Semitic Variation