Goddess Of The Moon, Feminity and Water
Mermaids can be found from every culture and from all continents. There once was a goddess who is believed to be the inspiration to all the mermaids stories that have been told around the world for thousands and thousands of years. This goddess was Assyrian goddess Atargatis.
Atargatis was goddess of the moon, feminine powers and water. She was worshiped 4000-3000 years ago in ancient Assyria and later on all over Mediterranean. Myth Of Atargatis
Stories how Atargatis became a mermaid are quite sad. According to the myth Atargatis fell in love to a mortal shepherd called Hadad and they had a daughter called Semiramis. Semiramis later on became queen of Assyria. She was most well -known for creating the famous hanging gardens of Babylonia.
Atargatis accidentally caused the death of Hadad. She could not live with her guilt and drowned herself into a lake near Ascalon. Waters however could not hide her beauty and she was transformed into a mermaid. A woman with a tail of a fish. Story of Atargatis is one of the first mermaid stories ever told. Atargatis was worshiped in a temple dedicated to her in the ancient city of Ascalon in Israel. It was told that her temple was completely made of gold and there was a giant statue of Atargatis also made from pure gold and diamonds. There was pool in the temple and the worshipers of Atargatis had to swim through the pool to get into the altar. Pool was filled with living fishes that were fed daily and taken care of. Fishes and doves were sacred animals to Atargatis. Dove was an emblem of love and fish a symbol of fertility and bounty. Cult of Atargatis traveled all the way to Greece and Rome and even British isles with Roman invaders. The greeks called her Derceto and Romans called her Dea Syriae the Assyrian goddess. In ancient Greece myth of Atargatis was connected to the constellation of Pisces. According to the Greek myth an egg fell from the skies into the Eufratis river. A fish pushed the egg to the shore and goddess Derceto hatched from it. Derceto asked god Zeus to knowledge the help of the fish and Zeus created the constellation of Pisces to the skies. Star formation which represents two fishes. The Mermaid Goddess
Atargatis is a Semitic word. She was called Athtart by the Phoenician. This might explain why she is often confused with Astarte, Babylonian goddess of sex and war. Atargatis is very different goddess. She is an aspect of the Universal Mother and her life-giving waters.
Story of Atargatis takes us to the roots of mermaid stories and legends. Water is the element of emotions. Atargatis went through a transformation because of a broken heart. Till to this day image of a mermaid contains the same elements which goddess Atargatis possess. Healing powers of water, beauty that can not be hidden, magic of womanhood and connections to the moon, waves and emotions. Sometimes waters can feel scary and threatening. We don´t know what mysteries lie within the deep. Atargatis is goddess of transformation who guides her followers to face their fears and their darkest selves so that they can love and appreciate all that they are.
Fay
11/1/2019 03:10:13 pm
hello, i'd love if you added sources! :D 11/1/2019 11:54:05 pm
It has been a while since I wrote this but one of the best Mermaid books that I´v read which also covers Atargatis is "Mermaids, the myths, legends and lore" by Skye Alexander.
Lizzy
12/28/2019 01:19:23 am
I'm writing a book on mermaid lore and this was really helpful so I wanted to say thanks! 1/27/2020 06:20:30 pm
The story of Atargatis is recurrent in many cultures, including those not linked at at to Assyrian, Greek or Roman traditions. Two brief examples: the goddess Iya Omo Ija, known in Brazil and Cuba as Yemanja,‘hás its origin in an inland river of ogum, Nigeria; the the mermaid Yara, Janaína, of the Brazilian native people before contact with Europeans. Both Yemanja and Janaína became assimilated and interchangeably present in the culture. No relation to Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek or Roman empires. 2/18/2020 01:00:49 pm
Very true. In Greece Atargatis has connections with Aphrodite. I am glad you mentioned Yemanja. I have been doing research on her and find her fascinating. It is interesting how all the mermaid myths share similar elements. Even here in Finland story of Aino in Kalevala, includes some similarities (she is a human girl who drowns herself and becomes part of the merpeople). Comments are closed.
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NiinaPronounced as Nee-na.
Artist, illustrator, writer, watercolorist and a folklorist. Gryffinclaw. Comes from Finland. Likes cats, tea and period dramas. Love fandoms AOGG and Little Women (prefers books over the films). Louisa May Alcott researcher. Please keep the comment section civil, respectful and connected to the topic at hand. Thank you. Spammy/passive-agressive comments will be blocked and reported.
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