Asherah is a Semitic mother goddess who was the wife of the chief god El and/or the Lord of the Mountains Amurru. She is thought of as the mother of all gods. As the goddess of fertility, Asherah was worshipped in ancient Babylonia and was said to be was the one to bring fertility to the Babylonian lands. She is sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Heaven," whose worship, in the Old Testament, was vehemently opposed by the prophet Jeremiah.
Asherah is often confused with but not the same as Astarte, the western counterpart of Ishtar. They appear with distinct names (Athirat and Ashtart, respectively), functions and attributes in Ugaritic texts, the earliest known source of information about Canaanite myths and beliefs. While Ashtart, described as a warrior and hunter, is depicted as one of Baal's allies, assisting him in the battle against Ym, the mother goddess Athirat, seemingly associated with the sea, supports Ashtar's claim to the throne instead. A Hittite text additionally presents a story in which "Ishtar" (Ashtart or Anat) warns Baal of a plot against him prepared by El and Asherah. Asherah and Astarte are also described separately in the Bible.
"A Semitic goddess who was the one to bring fertility to the Babylonian lands. She is known as the mother of the gods. It is believed that in Phoenicia, she became Astarte."
—Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Compendium
Asherah appears in Sector Fornax as the last of the revived Demon Kings that rise again to kill the protagonist. Early in the area, Asura, her earlier form, appears as an invisible demon which cannot be detected by the Demonica; after the events of Jack's Squad HQ (and by proxy, the defeat of Moloch, Orcus and Mithras), the three forma necessary to upgrade the Demonica's Enemy Search System are gathered, allowing the protagonist to strike back and force Asura to the lower levels of Fornax to continue the battle.
However, Asura crashes down from the ceiling and releases his true shape as Asherah. Her battle strategies are very similar though very much strengthened; she still will use Asura Rage, now dubbed Asura Roga, and other moves designed to inflict the Rage ailment. After her defeat, she will cry in shame to Mother Tiamat as she succumbs to death. After which, she can be obtained by using a Special Fusion between Asura and Valkyrie.
Asherah is faced in the New Game Plus Challenge Quest, Ishtar, Goddess of Harvest. Found southeast in the Tokyo - Bay Area, she is one of the demons whose souls originate from Ishtar. Minako obtains her soul upon Asherah's defeat.
Asherah can teach Nanashi the Maragion, Grand Tack, Diarama, Judgment and Samarecarm skills through her Demon Whisper. She benefits from learning healing, Force, Gun, Fire and Almighty skills.
"A goddess from Ancient Semitic religion, married to the Lord of the Mountains Amurru. She is thought of as the Mother of all Gods. As the goddess of love and fertility, she was worshipped in ancient Babylonia. She is also known as Astarte in other religions."
The sword held in Asherah's hand is made of obsidian, a type of volcanic black glass which is known to be used since the Stone Age until the Bronze Age for its naturally occurring sharpness. This is a symbol of Asherah being a goddess worshipped around that time.
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