Yarikh (Ugaritic: 𐎊𐎗𐎃, YRḪ, "moon"[2]), or Yaraḫum,[3]: 118–119 was a moon god worshiped in the Ancient Near East. He is best attested in sources from the Amorite[4] city of Ugarit in the north of modern Syria, where he was one of the principal deities. His primary cult center was most likely Larugadu, located further east in the proximity of Ebla. His mythic cult center is Abiluma.[5] He is also attested in other areas inhabited by Amorites, for example in Mari, but also in Mesopotamia as far east as Eshnunna. In the Ugaritic texts, Yarikh appears both in strictly religious context, in rituals and offering lists, and in narrative compositions. He is the main character in The Marriage of Nikkal and Yarikh, a myth possibly based on an earlier Hurrian composition. The eponymous goddess was regarded as his wife in Ugarit, but she is not attested in documents from most other Syrian cities, and most likely only entered the Ugaritic pantheon due to the influence of Hurrian religion.
Ugarit ceased to exist during the Bronze Age collapse, and while Yarikh continued to be worshiped in the Levant and Transjordan, attestations from the first millennium BCE are relatively rare. He played a small role in Phoenician, Punic, Ammonite and Moabite religions, and appears only in a small number of theophoric names from these areas. It is also presumed that he was worshiped by the Israelites and that the cities of Jericho and Beth Yerach were named after him. While the Hebrew Bible contains multiple polemics against the worship of the moon, it is not certain if they necessarily refer to Yarikh.
^Hallo, William W.; Younger, K. Lawson; Orton, David E. (1997). The Context of Scripture. Leiden New York (N.Y.) Köln: Brill. p. 349. ISBN 90-04-09629-9.
Yarikh (Ugaritic: 𐎊𐎗𐎃, YRḪ, "moon"), or Yaraḫum,: 118–119 was a moon god worshiped in the Ancient Near East. He is best attested in sources from the...
alongside Kušuḫ, but she was also regarded as the spouse of local moon god Yarikh. Maḫitti (singular) or Maḫittena (plural) are attested as members of Nikkal's...
Following this duo were second-tier gods and goddesses, such as Baal, Shamash, Yarikh, Mot, and Astarte, each of whom had their own priests and prophets and numbered...
Ashtart. Interactions between Anat and the sun goddess Shapash and moon god Yarikh are described in myths as well. In Hurrian ritual texts, she appears alongside...
mythology) God Ta'lab (Arabian mythology) God Wadd (Minaean mythology) God Yarikh (Amorite and Ugaritic mythology) God Ay Ata God Andriambahomanana God Avatea...
the Moon appears to renew itself. Iah (queen) List of lunar deities Ra Yarikh Allen, James P. (2000). Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language...
Asherah and is identified with Belet-ili. Yaraḫum, the moon god, who is named Yarikh at Ugarit. He is identified with the Mesopotamian Sin. Rašapum, equated...
Arsay. Pidray alone is also mentioned in the myth Marriage of Nikkal and Yarikh. The oldest spelling of Pidray's name. attested in an Old Babylonian Amorite-Akkadian...
trinity of co-supreme gods of Palmyra, Syria along with Aglibol and Bel. Yarikh, god of the moon and husband of Nikkal. The city of Jericho was likely his...
referred to as his "son" or "lineage." In the poem Marriage of Nikkal and Yarikh he is referred to as "Dagan of Tuttul," possibly indicating that he was...
Kotharat might be attested in the Ugaritic myth Marriage of Nikkal and Yarikh. Gabriele Theuer restores them as follows: ṯlḫh, mlgh, yṯtqt, bq’t, tq’t...
originates in the Canaanite word Yaraḥ 'moon' or the name of the lunar deity Yarikh, for whom the city was an early centre of worship. Jericho's Arabic name...
Toorn disagrees; he believes that it is a reference to Milku, Yaqar or Yarikh, or possibly El.: 532 Ugarit family households were modeled after the structure...
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