AYA

Aya or AYA can refer to:

Main uses

People

Surname

Fiction

Aya (comics)

Aya, in comics, may refer to:

See also

Aya (goddess)

Aya (or Aja) in Akkadian mythology was a mother goddess, consort of the sun god Shamash. She developed from the Sumerian goddess Šherida, consort of Utu.

History

Šherida is one of the oldest Mesopotamian gods, attested in inscriptions from pre-Sargonic times, her name (as "Aya") was a popular personal name during the Ur III period (21st-20th century BCE), making her among the oldest Semitic deities known in the region. As the Sumerian pantheon formalized, Utu became the primary sun god, and Šherida was syncretized into a subordinate role as an aspect of the sun alongside other less powerful solar deities (c.f. Ninurta) and took on the role of Utu's consort.

When the Semitic Akkadians moved into Mesopotamia, their pantheon became syncretized to the Sumerian. Inanna to Ishtar, Nanna to Sin, Utu to Shamash, etc. The minor Mesopotamian sun goddess Aya became syncretized into Šherida during this process. The goddess Aya in this aspect appears to have had wide currency among Semitic peoples, as she is mentioned in god-lists in Ugarit and shows up in personal names in the Bible (Gen 36:24, Sam 3:7, 1 Chr 7:28).