Ashtar

Ashtar
Japanese Name	アシュター
Rōmaji	Ashutaa
Also known as	Astaroth
Origin	Semitic Mythology Canaanite Mythology African Mythology
First Appearance	Shin Megami Tensei II
Alignment(s)	Light-Neutral
Race(s)	Deity
Transforms from	Astaroth

Ashtar is a demon in the series.

History

Ashtar, also known as Attarm, Athtar and Astar, is an astral god attested in multiple Semitic cultures.

In Ugaritic mythology, he seems to be a male counterpart of Astarte (the western Semitic equivalent of Ishtar) and shares her character as a warrior deity. His title is "the strong one." In the Baal cycle, he plays a minor, though significant, role as one of Baal's rivals. Initially, he dreams of kingship, but is rebuked by the sun goddess Shapash, who informs him that he's unfit to rule (possibly in part because he doesn't have a consort) and El plans to make Yam the king. However, later Asherah makes him the king in place of the temporarily deceased Baal nonetheless. Shapash's comments from the earlier part of the myth turn out to be true, which is illustrated as Ashtar being too short to sit on Baal's throne. When Baal returns from the netherworld with Anat's help, Ashtar accepts defeat and leaves Mount Saphon to rule elsewhere. While some translators suggest Ashtar then descends underground, this interpretation is not certain, and none of the other Ugaritic texts support it. In god lists he was equated with Aštabi, a war god from Hurrian and Eblaite texts.

In the text from the Mesha Stele, the national god of the Moabites, Chemosh, seems to be equated with Ashtar. Like him, Chemosh had a warlike character.

In Arabia, Ashtar was regarded as a god of natural irrigation, in addition to his roles as an astral god and a divine warrior and protector. It's possible that in Yemen he had separate aspects representing the evening and morning star. His cultic role there was considerably greater than in bronze age Ugarit, as evidenced both by local inscriptions and a few references in Assyrian texts.

Like a number of other southern Arabian deities, he is mentioned in inscriptions from the Ethiopian Axum Empire, dating to around 200-400 AD. The Axumites worshiped him as a god of heaven and considered him a part of a trinity which also included the native gods Beher (Earth) and Mahrem (war). Earlier he was likely worshiped in Ethiopia alongside Arabian solar and lunar gods like Almaqah.

Appearances

• Shin Megami Tensei II: Deity Race

Profile

Shin Megami Tensei II

Ashtar is the other deity that was forced into becoming Astaroth alongside Ishtar.

Stats

Shin Megami Tensei II

Race Alignment Level HP MP Deity Light-Neutral 40 540 79 CP NOA ATK ACC DEF EVA M.ATK M.EFC 40 1 114 77 106 74 7 7 St 17 In 6 Ma 6 Vi 13 Ag 11 Lu 9 Drop - Swd Gun Fir Ice Elc For Nrv Exp Crs Mgc Bnd Rsh Hnd Leg Fly Alm 5／8 7／8 - - - - - 2／8 - - - 3／8 4／8 4／8 4／8 - List of Skills Skill Cost Effect Recarmdra 8 MP Sacrifices an ally's life to recover full HP, all allies. Tackle 12% HP Medium Rush damage to one foe. Low accuracy. Roundhouse Kick 8% HP Medium Kick attack to one foe. Heat Wave 10% HP Medium Sword damage to 2-3 foes. Damage increases with user's HP.

See also

• Astaroth
• Ishtar