Edvard Westermarck claimed that Aicha Kandicha's name is "distinctly of Eastern origin," co-identifying her with
Qetesh in
ancient Canaanite religion, who he identified as "the temple harlot" and tying her to the cult of the goddess
Astarte, incorrectly characterised as a "fertility" goddess. Westermarck suggests that
Phoenician colonies in North Africa first introduced Kandicha, who was later folded into Islamic traditions while maintaining her licentious nature and association with aquatic environments. He also proposes that her associate
Hammu Qayyu may be inspired by the Carthaginian god
Hammon. and she's generally regarded as a goddess developed in Egypt possibly without a clear forerunner among Canaanite or Syrian goddesses, though given a
Semitic name and associated mostly with foreign deities. A direct connection between Qetesh and Astarte - associated, depending on the time period and area, with war, hunting, royal power, healing etc., but not with fertility as Westermarck claimed - cannot be established. Relatedly, one theory is that the name
"Qandicha" (قنديشة) is related to
"Qirtajia" (قرطاجية), which is Arabic for "Carthaginian" (feminine, adjective). According to the
Encyclopaedia of Islam, "Qandisha" comes from the
Hebrew qedēshā meaning "sacred prostitute". A more recent proposal is that Kandicha was derived from a real historical figure, namely a Moroccan "countess" (
contessa) from
el Jadida who helped resist the
Portuguese by seducing soldiers, who were then killed by Moroccan fighters lying in wait. It is believed that she began resisting
Colonialism after her husband was killed. Aïcha would have so many men that the soldiers began to fear her. Locals believed she had supernatural powers. ==Features==