Talk:Asherah pole

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There's no word which can be fairly directly or literally translated as "pole" in the original Hebrew of Deuteronomy 16:21(missing link), just the words "Asherah kol-`ets", which mean literally something like "(an) Asherah of any tree" or "(an) Asherah of any wood". AnonMoos 18:23, 24 September 2006 (UTC)(missing pic references)


 * Very true, but see reference to the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in The Bible entry currently in the article. ◄ Zahakiel ►  00:35, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Earth Mother
The article starts out asserting with this piece "[...] followed the typical pattern of Levantine worship, focused on an Earth Mother and her snake consort." This seems to be the conjecture of one author which doesn't seem to have much basis in current archaeological understanding. It would in fact seem to contradict it. Unless someone can put up a better argument in support of this and in contradiction of most archaeological evidence, I would say this should be stripped from the article. 24.9.164.72 (talk) 03:44, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

Totem pole?
Would this be considered a type of totem pole? Perhaps a link to that in the See also section? OlEnglish (talk) 00:12, 22 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Doubt that there's much specific documentable resemblance with those of Northwest American Indians... AnonMoos (talk) 05:59, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Some sources for Asherah & Yahweh
Dougweller (talk) 20:45, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Removal of See also to The Hebrew Goddess
This was removed twice (3 times now) and I replaced it because although I didn't know the book, it was clearly relevant. The third time it was removed again with an edit summary "please review the actual article linked to: substandard article, no references, and not even part of the Asherah pole article's textual citations". That is not a good reason to remove it -- in fact pointing to the article might lead people to improve it. The book itself is widely referenced in other scholarly works, and if it had been in the textual citations (which it is now), it would be wikified and therefore shouldn't be in see also anyway. As it is in the body of this article now I'm obviously not going to replace it in See also. Dougweller (talk) 10:32, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

It's About Time
It has been shown that the Jomon of ancient Japan erected poles like this to use not only in daily timekeeping but to use in the alignment of structures with the stars. (I live in Japan and I see stuff about this on TV all the time.) This was deduced by researchers who noted still-extant post-holes at nearly every Jomon site. They inserted new poles into them and found that the shadows cast by the poles corresponded neatly with the outlines of once-existing village structures, and in this manner succeeded in determining the correct height of the pole. It has also been postulated that this was the method the Jomon used to keep careful track of the months of the year so they would know precisely when to plant and harvest. This sort of idea seems extraordinarily significant when considered against the backdrop of a *fertility* cult like that belonging to Asherah, doesn't it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2405:6582:8580:C00:EDE1:48A5:8FCC:F56C (talk) 12:38, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
 * We'd need a reliable source linking Asherah poles to such possible use to include it in the article. Thanks, — Paleo  Neonate  – 14:04, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Just a quick word of caution. Make sure it's not a WP:FRINGE source if you do decide to go find a source for this. Generally speaking, the whole "connect Israelite culture to Japanese culture" field tends to be all about WP:FRINGE material, though I'd be delighted to find out I'm wrong about this. Alephb (talk) 21:43, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Indeed, — Paleo Neonate  – 03:05, 11 September 2018 (UTC)

Lede
The second paragraph of the lede 'The asherim' is very confusing. I cannot make out what it is trying to say. Before engaging in debates in the text, I think we should just clearly outline the different perspectives. The sentence that includes the 'begging the question' seems like a bad idea to me. We shouldn't as WP editors, be appraising arguments. All POVs should be attributed to sources. Ashmoo (talk) 09:30, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

Boaz and Jachin
Two poles or columns erected in front of the Temple, which were to be venerated in some way as part of Yahweh's worship. They each have names. The tradition that one was light and male, and the other dark and female, survives into Kabbalistic times. The fact that they are made of bronze and hollow suggests a link with the manufacture of idols used in other temples. A link with the Asherah poles is a supposition irresistible to the imagination; whether true and proveable, or otherwise.

Nuttyskin (talk) 23:18, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

Ashram
Could this not be from a nearby linguistic family for temple, or Ashram? Many ashrams are just wooden poles supporting a stilt roof to pray under. So cutting them down is possible, you could level an old style ashram with a wooden chopping axe. So cut down would be apt. --121.210.33.50 (talk) 14:40, 29 November 2019 (UTC)


 * Linguists are generally not impressed by semi-vague resemblances of sounds from widely-separated cultural areas, unless there's some specific evidence linking them... AnonMoos (talk) 10:15, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

Modern uses of term
I wonder if this article should mention modern, colloquial use of the term "Asherah pole" among evangelicals? Specifically, megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll has drawn explicit parallels between the Asherah pole and stripper poles, implying that the latter is a modern version of the former. Although no scholar would make such a connection, the fact that some evangelicals or Pentecostals would do so might be considered notable in and of itself. Kind of like the term Jezebel Spirit, which Driscoll also used in the same speech. Does this deserve a mention in the article? LonelyBoy2012 (talk) 15:22, 16 April 2024 (UTC)


 * As a Biblical repurposing, it can't hold a candle to the prayer of Jabez. If it achieves a degree of common usage, then it could be included in the article, but being mentioned in one sermon probably would not qualify.  I think that 17th-century Puritans sometimes compared may-pole danceing to Asherah poles, though all that I can turn up with a little Google searching is a JSTOR article "The Conquest of Canaan: Suppression of Merry Mount", which I can't view... AnonMoos (talk) 15:49, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
 * "explicit parallels between the Asherah pole and stripper poles" I was not aware of stripper poles being used in religious rituals. Do evangelicals perform in them? Dimadick (talk) 14:42, 18 April 2024 (UTC)