Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

34 Astarprime parent, ruling the seven heavens of chaos ingnostic mythology.AstarAstral god. Ethiopian. Identified in Axum Empireinscriptions from circa AD 200-400.AštarothFertility goddess. Western Semitic. Goddess ofsheep herders equating with the Phoenician goddessASTARTE. Also a plural form of the nameAštoreth and used as a collective name for goddesses(cf. BAAL).ASTARTE (star)ORIGIN western Semitic, predominantly Phoenician[Lebanon and Syria]. Fertility goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 1500 BCor earlier until circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Aštarat; Attart (Ugarit).CENTER(S) OF CULT predominantly Tyre; alsoSidon, Byblos, Ascalon, Carthage, Kition[Cyprus], Eryx [Sicily] and Malta.ART REFERENCES sculptures, plaques, votive stelae,glyptics, etc.LITERARY SOURCES mainly inscriptions.The goddess of the evening star, of war and ofsexual love. Inscriptions from the fifth century BCin her major temple at Sidon suggest she was perceivedas an emanation of BAAL ŠAMIN, personifyinghis divine power. She is also his consort. Heranimal is the sphinx, which typically appears oneither side of her throne. She is often representedby baetyls or stone stelae. In Hellenic times shebecame largely syncretized with the Greek goddessAPHRODITE. A first century BC inscription ina sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite at Delos identifiesthe “holy Syrian goddess.” Astarte is typicallydepicted naked and, in the Egyptian style,wears a crown of cows’ horns enclosing a sun disc.The latter may have rays emanating.See also AŠTORETH, IŠTAR and AŠERAH.AstlikAstral goddess. Pre-Christian Armenian. Derivedfrom the Mesopotamian model of IŠTAR. Survivedin Christian times as the mother of fairies.AŠTORETHORIGIN Palestinian and Philistine [Israel,Lebanon]. Fertility goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1200 BC orearlier until circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS AŠTAROTH.CENTER(S) OF CULT Palestine coastal regionincluding Jerusalem.ART REFERENCES various sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES inscriptions; Vetus Testamentum.Aštoreth equates with the Syrian goddess ASTARTE,both being modeled on the Mesopotamian IŠTAR.She was adopted, typically, as goddess of bothlove and war. She is usually depicted wearing ahorned headdress. Biblical references include IKings 11.5 and II Kings 23.13. Solomon is said tohave built a temple in her honor near Jerusalem.The name is said, by some authors, to be synonymouswith Aštaroth.Asuha-No-KamiGod of courtyards. Shinto [Japan]. A guardiandeity, one of many in Shintoism, concerned withthe protection of houses and their environs.AsurakumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHVANAVASI (dwelling in places).