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ASTARTE or ASTORETH
is also known as
Astarat and Astoreth. She is an incarnation of Ishtar
and Inanna. This Semitic Goddess was worshipped by the
Syrians, Canaanites (today called Palestinians), Phoenicians, Egyptians and
other Semitic Tribes.
King Solomon built a Temple to Her as Astoreth, near Jerusalem. Astarte was
worshipped as many things. To the Egyptians, She was honored as a Goddess of war
and tenacity; to the Semites, She was a Goddess of Love and Fertility; among the
Greeks, She was transposed into the Goddess of Love Aphrodite.
In the Bible, She is referred to as "the abomination". The bountiful
qualities of the Great Goddess are reflected in all the principle Goddesses of
the Meditteranean and Middle-East. The Egg is a sacred symbol of Astarte,
representing fecundity, new life and the powers of the Goddess. The Pomegranate,
the "fruit bearing eggs" is an important part of Her sacred rites.
The worship of Astarte spread far and wide, and in time, She was worshipped by
the Phillistines, the Greeks, the Romans, the Sicilians, and in many parts of
Europe and Africa.
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