Atargatis (Atarate, Atargate, Atharate) In Near Eastern mythology (Hittite), mother goddess, associated with the moon and fertility; called Dea Suria in Roman mythology. Atargatis was born from an egg that the sacred fishes found in the Euphrates and pushed ashore. Her shrine at Ascalon had a pool near her temple that contained sacred fish.
The Old Testament Apocrypha book 2 Maccabees (12:26) tells how Judas Maccabeus “marched forth to Carnion, and to the temple of Atargatis, and there he slew five and twenty thousand persons.” A marginal note to the King James Version says in reference to Atargatis, “That is, Venus.” Atargatis’s cult was very popular in the Near East, and she was known under various names.
The Phoenicians called her Dereto, and some scholars believe the goddess Atheh, worshipped at Tarsus, was another version of the goddess. The Greeks identified her with Aphrodite. In art Atargatis was sometimes portrayed as half woman and half fish. Doves were sacred to her, and fish were used in her worship.
SEE ALSO:
- Aphrodite;
- Atheh
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
NOTE:
Since the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and others all shared essentially the same pantheon and belief systems, these articles are all combined under the Mesopotamian mythology / deities / legendary creatures category.