Attar (god)

Aṯtar (Arabic: ‫ ;ﻋﺜﺘﺮ‬Musnad: ) is an ancient Semitic deity whose role,

name, and even gender varied by culture.

Contents
Name and identity
In popular culture
Notes
South Arabian fragment of astela, depicts
References a reclining ibex and three Arabian oryx
External links heads. The ibex was one of the most
sacred animals in South Arabia, while the
oryx antelope was associated with Athtar,
Name and identity 5th century BC; Walters Art Museum.

The name appears as Attar (Aramaic), Athtar (South Arabia), Astar

(Aksum), Ashtar (Moab), Aṯtar (Ugarit)[1] and Ištar in Mesopotamia. In both genders, Aṯtar is identified with the planet Venus, the
morning and evening star, in some manifestations of Semitic mythology. In Ugaritic mythology Aṯtar succeeds to the throne of the
dead god Baal Hadad but proves inadequate. In semi-arid regions of western Asia he was sometimes worshipped as a rain god. In
more southerly regions he is probably known asDhu-Samani.

Attar was worshipped in Southern Arabia in pre-Islamic times. A god of war, he was often referred to as "He who is Bold in Battle".
One of his symbols was the spear-point and the antelope was his sacred animal. He had power over Venus, the morning star, and was
believed to provide humankind with water.

In ancient times, Arabia shared the gods of Mesopotamia, being so close to Babylon, except the genders and symbols of these deities
were later swapped around. For instance, the sun god Shamash became the sun goddessShams, and in southern Arabia Ishtar became
the male storm god Athtar. Athtar was a god of the thunderstorm, dispensing natural irrigation in the form of rain. Athtar also
represented fertility and water as essential to fertility. When representing water he stood not just for the act of raining itself, but rather
[2]
for the useful flow of the water after the rain, in thewadi, the Arabian watercourse which is dry except in the rainy season.

In popular culture
Attar appears as the demon Ashtar inShin Megami Tensei II.

Notes
1. James Hastings (1908–1927).Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 3. p. 165. ISBN 076613671X.
2. Julian Baldick (1998). Black God (https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0815605226)
. Syracuse University Press.
p. 20. ISBN 0815605226.

References
Jordan, Michael (2002).Encyclopedia of Gods. Kyle Cathie Limited.
External links
Jewish Encyclopedia: Ashtoreth in Arabia
A Who's Who of World Mythology: Athtar

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