arabian mythology: hubal

Hubal (Arabic: هبل) is the Meccan warrior god who was believed to have power over victory in battle, fortune and rainfall; the chief god of the tribes of Banu Khuza’a, Banu Kinanah and Banu Quraysh. The idol of Hubal was a large carnelian sculpture in the form of an old bearded man and was located inside the Ka’aba. Hubal was considered to be the consort of the goddess al-'Uzzā; the son of Manāt, and the brother of the moon god Wadd, and was the chief god of the town of Mecca and the Ka'aba during the rule of the Quraysh in Muhammads time. Before beginning a battle, the pagan Quraysh would invoke the god for his blessing of protection and victory by crying "U'lu Hubal" meaning "Exalted is Hubal". The mythology of Hubal in Mecca may have been consolidated with that of the minor god al-Bā'li (Canaanite: Baal, Himyarite: Bāl): a deity whose cult was popular in Canaan and Yemen, but largely ignored by most Arabian tribes. It is also equally likely that Hubal and al-Bā'li were two distinct and unrelated deities. In addition to appealing to Hubal for rain, victory in battle and success in mercantile activities, the pagan Meccans would consult Hubal as an oracle by means of cleromancy or 'istiqsām; divination by drawing sacred arrows (al-Azlām) from a quiver during rituals accompanied by large sacrifices before his idol, which the scholar al-'Azraqi reports once consisted of one hundred camels. The people of Banu Quraysh tribe held the idol of Hubal in such high regard that the men of that tribe crafted a hand of solid gold for this god when his original carnelian one was once broken. The cult of Hubal was also popular with the Nabataean Arabs of southern Jordan and north Arabia; a people whose culture was a mixture of Arabic and Aramaic traditions, beliefs and language. One of the other personal names of Hubal was al-Ghanm meaning "The Bountiful". In the religion of the Nabataeans and the north Arabian tribes, Hubal was a god who personified rising water vapor and was associated with thermal springs; the Nabataean name Hblw (Hubaluw) is translated as 'vapor' or 'spirit'.

The Pre-Islam Arabian Religion

Eventually put down by Islam, the indigenous religion of Arabia included many local deities and one chief god, Hubal, who reigned over them. Prior to Muhammad seizing control over it, the Kaaba in Mecca (the pilgrimage spot for modern Islam) housed the images of several hundred such gods. According to Islamic belief, the structure was originally built by Abraham, but its keepers later placed the numerous other idols inside. Hubal especially seemed to have been a preoccupation for them, as they are believed to have indulged in divining by casting arrows before his golden-handed idol. After seizing control of the Kaaba, however, Muhammad expelled the idols from the site.

Zespół Pałacowo-Parkowy Sroczyńskich w Jaśle

Bohaterska i tragiczna historia haupthubals legendarny i jego zespołu – ostatni oddział wojska polskiego, pierwsza jednostka partyzant z pierwszej wojny światowej nie został jeszcze przedstawiony ramiona po klęsce we wrześniu. (more…)

120 lat temu urodził się Henryk Dobrzański “Hubal”

120 lat temu, 22 czerwca 1897 r., w Jaśle urodził się Henryk Dobrzański Hubal, żołnierz Legionów Polskich, major WP, kawalerzysta, olimpijczyk. Po kapitulacji Warszawy we wrześniu 1939 r. przedostał się na Kielecczyznę, gdzie utworzył Oddział Wydzielony Wojska Polskiego prowadzący walkę z Niemcami; zginął w kwietniu 1940 r. pod Anielinem.