Astarte is the Greek name of the Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian Semitic goddess Ishtar. Her symbols were the lion, the horse, the sphinx, the dove, and a star within a circle indicating the planet Venus. Pictorial representations often show her naked. She has also been known as the deified evening star.
She was worshiped in the Phoenician city states of Sidon, Tyre, and Byblos; as well as Syria and Canaan, beginning in the first millennium BC. She came from the same Semitic origins as the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar. Her worship spread to Cyprus. Greeks in classical, Hellenistic, and Roman times occasionally equated Aphrodite with Astarte, in keeping with their frequent practice of synchronizing other deities with their own. Other faith centers were Cythera, Malta, and Eryx, in Sicily, from which she became known to the Romans as Venus.
Astarte arrived in Ancient Egypt during the 18th dynasty. She appeared as daughter of Ra, and was given in marriage to the god Set.
She was usually depicted full faced and naked, except for some ornamental jewelry. Astarte also appeared holding her breasts in her hands. Her thighs were rounded, which was considered to be extremely feminine in that particular culture, while her legs, from her knees down through her ankles to her feet, were pressed closely together.
Easter, the celebration of Jesus's resurrection, is the most sacred day of the Christian year. In ancient Babylon, around the spring solstice, people celebrated the resurrection of their god Tammuz, who was brought back from the underworld by his mother/wife Ishtar (pronounced “Easter” in most Semitic dialects). Flowers, painted eggs, and rabbits were the symbols of the holiday then, as now.
Inanna, another aspect of Ishtar, was a Goddess of Sensual and Sexual Love, and her followers practiced what has been referred to as “sacred prostitution.” Ishtar was also known as the Lady of Battles, and it was in this particular aspect that she sported a full beard, which fell all the way to her breasts. She rode in a chariot which was similar to Astarte’s and like Astate's, it was drawn by seven lions. Ishtar's symbols were the Moon, Venus, the eight-pointed star, a lion and a scorpion.
I AM BABYLON. I AM INNIN I AM INANNA I AM NANAEA I AM ISHTAR I AM ASTARTE. I AM the purest heart. The holiest place in existence is my sacred womb. Only love can reside there. Death is left below me; it is not permitted within me. For although I welcome and guide the dead I AM Mother of ALL life. I AM the cleanser. I AM the purifier. No unclean thoughts can pass through the gates to my temple, No loveless lust can enter into my presence
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Wonderful information on the goddess, but as a historian I would like to point out that Ishtar was never associated with the holiday Easter and that it actually originated in Judaism. Even though the names may be similar, there just is no actual evidence that the Mesopotamians practiced such a holiday.
ReplyDeleteLillian your statement is simply false weather or not you are a historian read here: https://stellarhousepublishing.com/easter-or-ishtar-whats-the-truth/
DeleteSorry. Lilian has it right and the article you posted amounts to random speculation without a trace of evidence. You don't get to claim holidays are related by claiming vague similarity in words, and Easter is, and remains, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, with fertility symbols involved because nothing else expresses resurrection. Stellarhouse just isn't reputable historytelling, sorry.
Deletethe imagery depicts her as a phoenix the name and imagery is associated with death resurrection and rebirth
DeleteThank you for your comment! I am not a historian, and am more interested in the art. You can my source of reference by following the link at the end of the post!
ReplyDeleteThe adoption of other religion's feasts was very common for a very long time, to induce more converts. The most recent examples I can think of being Christianity in Rome!