Ancient Babylonia - Ishtar
Ancient fertility deity, the most widely worshiped goddess in Babylonian and
Assyrian religion. She was worshiped under various names and forms. Most
important as a mother goddess and as a goddess of love, Ishtar was the source of all
the generative powers in nature and mankind. However, she was also a goddess of
war and as such was capable of unremitting cruelty. Her cult spread throughout
W Asia, and she became identified with various other earth goddesses (see Great
Mother Goddess). One of the most famous of the Babylonian legends related the
trials of her descent into the underworld in search of her lover Tammuz and her
triumphant return to earth. In Sumerian religion, where her cult probably
originated, she was called Inanna or Innina.
Ancient Babylonia
Return to Bible History Online