Astarte

Astarte or Ashtoreth (Greek: Ἀστάρτη, Astártē) is the Hellenized form of the Middle Eastern goddess Ishtar, worshipped from the Bronze Age through classical antiquity. The name is particularly associated with her worship in the ancient Levant among the Canaanites and Phoenicians. She was also celebrated in Egypt following the importation of Levantine cults there. The name Astarte is sometimes also applied to her cults in Mesopotamian cultures like Assyria and Babylonia.

Name

Astarte is one of a number of names associated with the chief goddess or female divinity of those peoples. She is recorded in Akkadian as As-dar-tu (𒀭𒊍𒁯𒌓^D), the masculine form of Ishtar. The name appears in Ugaritic as ʻAthtart or ʻAṭtart (𐎓𐎘𐎚𐎗𐎚), in Phoenician as Ashtart or Aštart (𐤕𐤓𐤕𐤔𐤀), in Hebrew as Ashtoret (עשתרת). The Hebrews also referred to the Ashtarot or "Astartes" in the plural. The Etruscan Pyrgi Tablets record the name Uni-Astre (𐌖𐌍𐌉 𐌀𐌔𐌕𐌛𐌄).

Overview

Astarte was connected with fertility, sexuality, and war. 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 been known as the deified evening star.

Astarte (ballet)

Astarte, choreographed by Robert Joffrey, was the first live, multi-media ballet with a specially commissioned rock music score composed and performed by Crome Syrcus. It received its world premier on September 20, 1967 and was performed by the Joffrey Ballet in New York at the City Center Theater. It was produced by Midge Mackenzie, with sets and lighting design by Thomas Skelton, costumes by Hugh Sherrer, and film created and photographed by Gardner Compton.

Astarte made the cover of Time Magazine in March 1968.

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Astarte (band)

Astarte was an all-female black metal band from Athens, Greece, named after the goddess Astarte.

History

Astarte first formed under the name Lloth in September 1995 at Athens, Attica. The original line-up included Maria Kolokouri (bass, guitar, keyboards), a.k.a. Tristessa (who subsequently took over on lead vocals), Nemesis (guitar), and Kinthia (vocals, guitar). They had Psychoslaughter, the drummer from Greek band Invocation, play for the sessions on their demo, Dancing in the Dark Lakes of Evil, released as Lloth in 1997. Shortly thereafter they adopted the name Astarte, named after the Semitic goddess of sexuality. Their debut full-length album, Doomed Dark Years, appeared in 1998 on Black Lotus Records; two further LPs followed on the label. After lineup changes in which Nemesis and Kinthia left to be replaced by Katharsis (keyboards) and Hybris (guitar), they released their fourth and fifth albums on Avantgarde Music, the most recent of which, Demonized, was released in 2007. In 2003 the band participated in the Celtic Frost Tribute album Order of the Tyrants, released by Black Lotus Records, covering the song "Sorrows Of The Moon".