ʿAṯtar

Semitic deity associated with Venus ʿAṯtar or Athtar, is a deity whose role, name, and even gender varied across ancient Semitic religion. In both genders, ʿAṯtar is identified with the planet Venus, the morning and evening star. ʿAṯtar is a prominent character in the Baal Cycle and is considered an astral warrior god, being given the titles "Athtar of the Stars" and "Athtar of the Heaven". It has been suggested that ʿAṯtar as a masculine Venus god was syncretized into the depiction of feminine Venus goddess Inanna in her depiction as having a masculine beard. Name The name appears in various Semitic languages as: the feminine form Ištar (𒀭𒀹𒁯) in Akkadian, who was assimilated to Inanna; the masculine form ʿAṯtar (عثتر, Arabic pronunciation: [ʕaθ.tar]) in Arabic; and the masculine form ʿÄstär (ዐስተር) in Ethio-Semitic languages. Attestations Among Amorites At Ugarit ʿAṯtar The Ugaritic masculine variant of ʿAṯtar, 𐎓𐎘𐎚𐎗 (ʿAṯtar), appears in the Baʿal Cycle. ʿAṯtart The Northwest Semitic feminine form of ʿAṯtar, the Great Goddess 𐎓𐎘𐎚𐎗𐎚 (ʿAṯtart), is often mentioned in Ugaritic ritual texts, but playe