There are many different kinds and types of goddesses, but no Goddess. Here is a brief account of the some of the significant material in this detailed and extensively documented book. They emphasize the importance of context, and the difficulty of interpreting it. Westenholz then provides a helpful overview of what we do know. Near Eastern goddesses performed many different functions, both public and private.
Some goddesses appear to threaten patriarchal values.
Goddesses in Early Israelite Religion. But unlike her Ugaritic counterparts Anat and Astarte, Yahweh's consort is definitely subordinate to him. That may account for her popularity, because she could intercede with him, much as the Virgin Mary was believed to be able to do many centuries later. The Earliest Goddesses of Egypt. She is at once both herself and Ceres, Minerva, etc.