Serpopard Ishtar

Job: 
Family: Dhalmel
Crystal: Earth
Weak to: Lightning, Wind
Notorious Monster	
thumb|Serpopard Ishtar
Zone	
Level	
Drops	
Steal	
Spawns	
Notes
Tahrongi Canyon	
19-20	
*Cerulean Pendant
*Dhalmel Hide
*Giant Femur		
2	
L, S, Sc
					
Notes:
:*Lottery Spawn from the Wild Dhalmel
:*Can load at either H-8 to I-8, or H-6. 
:*Killable by: 2 characters level 15; solo at level 25 
=== Historical Background ===
This NM's name comes from two different mythologies. 
In Egyptian mythology, the serpopard was a creature that had the long neck and head of a serpent and the body of a leopard. It was frequently used as a decorative figure in Egyptian art (it can be seen on the famed Narmer Palette). It originated in the Pre-Dynastic Period. 
Ishtar is an Akkadian and Babylonian goddess (equivalent of the Sumerian Inanna and Semitic Astarte) who was the chief female figure in the Mesopotamian pantheon and was the goddess of fertility and sexuality... but also destruction. While her fertility was considered to make crops grow, she was also the goddess of war, combat, and the hunt. In this form, she was seen clad in armor and wielding a bow and arrow. Otherwise, she tends to be depicted wearing long robes with a crown and an 8-ray star as her symbol (though she is sometimes depicted naked as well). She was also the goddess of prostitutes and was associated with beer, considered the patroness of taverns and tavernkeepers (who were women in Mesopotamian culture). In one story, she journeyed into the Underworld, Irkalla, and was killed by Ereshkigal, queen of the underworld, but was brought back through divine intercession. She gets her sister to serve 6 months of the year in the underworld, but Ishtar herself must also spend 6 months in the underworld (Autumn & Winter) (notice the similarity of this story of that of Persephone from Greek mythology). She (representing the Earth, specifically the life-force of Earth) was considered part of a celestial triad with Utu/Shamash (the Sun) and Sin/Nanna (the Moon) which lay situated above another triad, that of An (Heaven), Enlil (Earth, specifically the land), and Enki/Ea (the waters of the world). She was associated with the planet Venus (the Morning Star/Evening Star). A large landmass on the planet Venus is named Ishtar Terra after the goddess. 
Category:BestiaryCategory:Notorious Monsterscategory:Dhalmel