Astarte

Lore

Astarte is one of the most significant figures in the history of the occult, an example of the shift from an ancient goddess to a demonic entity. Once the supreme goddess of the Canaanite and Phoenician pantheons—embodying the creative force of nature, love, and war—she has, over the centuries, become one of the Great Demonesses, wielding power over fundamental aspects of human existence: passion, relationships, and, paradoxically, compassion.

Her name appears in the Phoenician tradition as Astart, in Ugaritic as Attart, and is linked to the Mesopotamian Ishtar and the Sumerian Inanna. During her demonization, Hebrew scribes distorted her name, adding the vowels of her name to the word boshet (shame), creating the form Ashtoreth. In demonological tracts and grimoires she is listed under various names and titles—“Ishtar’s Bane,” “Lady of the Lilu,” “Queen of Heaven”—each reflecting aspects of her abilities: war, sexuality, dominion over the spirits of the dead, protection, the magic of compassion and lust, as well as wisdom and control over past and future.

Astarte’s demonic appearance is a fusion of human and leonine traits: the head of a lioness on a woman’s body. The lion’s form embodies predatory ferocity, unbridled rage, and royal dignity; her jaws symbolize the power to crush even the will of gods. Her eyes burn with an inner fire, the fur on her head merging into skin that highlights the blend of beast and human. Her body is strikingly feminine, often unclothed to emphasize her role as mistress of passion, yet it conceals supernatural strength.

The bull’s horns that sometimes rise from her head signify vital force and connect to her status as the consort of Bael. On occasion she bears one or two pairs of wings, feathered or leathery, indicating her former rank among the higher angelic orders. The air around her is heavy with the scent of musk and ancient dust, leaving humans dazed.