Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte, and Aphrodite
Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte, and Aphrodite are not identical but share significant overlaps in their characteristics, symbolism, and functions as goddesses of love, fertility, and sometimes war.
Origin: Astarte was worshipped in the Levant (modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel) during the 2nd millennium BCE.
While her myths are less detailed than those of Ishtar or Inanna, Astarte was revered as a powerful goddess of reproduction and renewal.
Cultural Context: Astarte’s worship spread through Phoenician colonies, influencing other cultures, including Egypt (where she was associated with Hathor) and the Greeks.
Origin: Aphrodite emerged in Greek mythology, with her cult gaining prominence around the 1st millennium BCE.
Some scholars trace her origins to Astarte or Ishtar, brought to Greece via Phoenician trade and cultural exchange.
Unlike the others, Aphrodite is less associated with war (though in some myths, she influences conflicts).
Birth from the Sea Foam: Aphrodite is said to have been born from the foam of the sea after Uranus’s severed genitals were thrown into the ocean.
Cultural Context: Aphrodite became central to Greek art, poetry, and culture, representing idealized beauty and passion rather than the complex warrior aspects of Ishtar or Inanna.
Ishtar, Inanna, and Astarte also share strong associations with war and power, though Aphrodite’s connection to war is minor and indirect.
Lions and military imagery appear more prominently with Ishtar, Inanna, and Astarte.
The spread of Phoenician trade and cultural influence likely introduced Astarte’s worship to the Greeks, where her traits were adapted into Aphrodite’s persona.
Ishtar, Inanna, and Astarte were also warrior goddesses, while Aphrodite lacked a strong martial dimension.
Aphrodite is more romanticized and idealized as a figure of beauty and charm.
Aphrodite’s myths are more focused on personal relationships and human passions.
While Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte, and Aphrodite share a mythological lineage and thematic similarities, they are distinct in their cultural contexts and roles.
The progression from Inanna to Ishtar to Astarte to Aphrodite reflects how ancient civilizations adapted and reshaped religious figures to fit their own cultural and societal needs.
Atalanta
He obtained three golden apples from the goddess Aphrodite, which he used to distract Atalanta during the race.
After their marriage, the myth states that Hippomenes and Atalanta failed to honor Aphrodite, who had helped them.
The Gods of the Phœnician also Kings of Atlantis
Ouranos had a daughter called Astarte paragraph continues, another called Rhea.
The Kings of Atlantis become the Gods of the Greeks
These deities, including Zeus, were twelve in number: Zeus (or Jupiter), Hera (or Juno), Poseidon (or Neptune), Demeter (or Ceres), Apollo, Artemis (or Diana), Hephæstos (or Vulcan), Pallas Athena (or Minerva), Ares (or Mars), Aphrodite (or Venus), Hermes (or Mercury), and Hestia (or Vesta)." These were doubtless the twelve gods from whom the Egyptians derived their kings.
By Demeter (Ceres) he had Persephone (Proserpine); by Leto, Apollo and Artemis (Diana); by Dione, Aphrodite (Venus); by Semele, Dionysos (Bacchus); by Maia, Hermes (Mercury); by Alkmene, Hercules, etc., etc.
Orichalcum
In Homeric mythology, orichalcum is also referenced in relation to Aphrodite's jewelry, further supporting the idea that it was considered valuable.
Chronological Nations and Tribes
Gods: Baal, Astarte, Melqart
The Catalogue of Ships
The Dardanians were led by brave Aeneas, whom Aphrodite bore to Anchises when she, goddess though she was, had lain with him upon the mountain slopes of Ida.
The Phoenician history
“Some time later, while Ouranos was in exile, he secretly sent his maiden daughter Astarte together with two other sisters of hers, Rhea and Dione, to kill Kronos by stealth.
"Kronos had seven daughters, Titanids or Artemids, by Astarte, and again by Rhea he had seven sons, the youngest of whom was made an object of worship at the time of his birth.
By Dione he had two female children and again by Astarte two male children, called Desire and Love.
"Greatest Astarte and Zeus, called both Demarous and Adodos, king of gods, were ruling over the land with the consent of Kronos.
Astarte placed upon her own head a bull’s head as an emblem of kingship.
The Phoenicians say that Astarte is Aphrodite."
Mount Ida (Troad)
According to the myth, the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite asked Paris, a prince of Troy, to judge which of them was the fairest.
Each goddess offered Paris a bribe: Hera promised power, Athena offered wisdom and skill in battle, and Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta.
Paris chose Aphrodite, setting in motion the events that led to the Trojan War.
Mount Olympus
The twelve Olympians included Zeus (king of the gods), Hera (queen of the gods), Poseidon (god of the sea), Demeter (goddess of the harvest), Athena (goddess of wisdom and war), Apollo (god of the sun and arts), Artemis (goddess of the hunt), Ares (god of war), Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty), Hephaestus (god of fire and metalworking), Hermes (messenger of the gods), and Hestia (goddess of the hearth).
Ishtar
She has parallels in other ancient cultures, such as the Canaanite goddess Astarte and the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
Anath
Goddess of Love and Fertility: In addition to her warrior aspect, Anath is sometimes associated with love and fertility, similar to other Near Eastern goddesses like Ishtar and Astarte.
The Olympian Gods
Olympians: Introduced a range of moral and ethical considerations, including justice (Zeus), wisdom (Athena), and love (Aphrodite).
Asherah
Asherah was known by various names, such as Astarte, Hathor, and the Lion Lady.
Hermaphrodite
Hermaphroditus was a figure in Greek mythology, known as the son of Hermes, the messenger god, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
The Pyramid, the cross and the Garden of Eden
In every heathen mythology it was the universal emblem of the goddess or mother of heaven, by whatsoever name she was addressed--whether as Mylitta, Astarte, Aphrodite, Isis, Mata, or Venus; and the several eminences consecrated to her worship were, like those upon which Jupiter was originally adored, of a conical or pyramidal shape.
The Gods of the Phoenicians also kings of Atlantis
The Phoenician god Ouranos had a daughter named Astarte (Ashtoreth) and another called Rhea.
Uranus
He ambushed Uranus as he approached Gaia and castrated him, casting the severed parts into the sea, from which arose various other deities and mythical beings, including Aphrodite, who emerged from the sea foam.
Androgyne Adam
Pygmalion, says the classic story, which is really a Phœnician myth of creation, made woman of marble or ivory, and Aphrodite, in answer to his prayers, endowed the statue with life.
Venus
She is equivalent to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, but has distinct Roman characteristics and origins.
The third Adam is earthly
The second Adam is a person with soul and appeared on the sixth day, called Aphrodite.
Anunnaki gods list
In Greek mythology, Pisces represents two fish, who were placed in the sky by the goddess Aphrodite to honor their bravery and devotion.