Astaroth

**Angels*** Metatron
* Sandalphon
* Raziel
* Zaphkiel
* Jophiel
* Haniel
* Zadkiel
* Phanuel
* Kamael
* Raguel

**Fallen Angels*** Azazel
* Shemhazai
* Baraqiel
* Armaros
* Arakiel
* Bezaliel
* Chazaqiel
* Penemue
* Sariel
* Shamsiel
* Satanael
* Kokabiel

**Demons*** Asmodeus
* Beelzebub
* Lucifuge
* Belphegor
* Leviathan
* Mammon
* Satan

**Humans*** {Adam}
* {Eve}

**Astaroth** is the 27th infernal spirit within the Ars Goetia and holds the rank of Duke of Hell. She is the Demon of Vanity, Narcissism, and Obsession, and the progenitor of the Astaroth Clan of the 72 Pillars. In ancient time, she was worshipped by the Canaanites as the goddess **Astarte**.

## Overview

### Astaroth

**Astaroth**, also known as **Ashtaroth**, **Astarot** or **Asteroth**, is the twenty-ninth demonic spirit listed in the Ars Goetia, according to the writings in The Lesser Key of Solomon. According to Judaic lore, he was a high-ranking angel, either one of the seraphim or a prince of thrones, prior to his fall. He is an exceptionally powerful duke of Hell and commands 40 legions of demons, while assisted by four great demons: Aamon, Barbatos, Rashaverak and Pruslas.

Astaroth is one of the highest-ranking demons and is said to be the strongest of the dukes. He is the patron of battles and engagements, eater of souls, the father of the executioners. He can seduce men through laziness and vanity, make men wise in mathematical sciences and handicrafts, reveal hidden treasures, make men invisible and give them power over serpent. He is sometimes referred to as the prince of accusers and inquisitors, with powers to rival that of the great demons like Bael and Beelzebub.

He is depicted as a naked man with a dragon's hands, feet and wings, a secondary pair of angel's wings, wearing a crown, holding a serpent and riding a wolf. Texts that describe Astaroth depict him as a wretched angel. Other accounts mention Astaroth having horned wings and often note the gloomy nature of the being. Astaroth is also known to be a great mentor to turn to if in need of assistance, especially if that assistance is needed to make important political or business connections. According to many legends, Astaroth serves as a council to both humans and demons; though he seems to have a preference towards human affairs.

His name is derived from the biblical term "ashtaroth," the plural form of Ashtoreth, a misspelling of the name of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, also known as Ashtart (the western counterpart of Ishtar), meant to resemble the word bosheth, "abomination." Greek and Latin translators directly transliterated this term, and eventually it started to be seen as a singular masculine word rather than a plural feminine one. Astaroth in his form known from grimoires dates back only to the 15th century and doesn't incorporate any elements drawn from Astarte's mythology or cultic role. The demon's name is nonetheless treated as interchangeable with Astarte's or even Ishtar's in modern fiction sometimes.

### Astarte

**Astarte**, also known as **Athtart** or **Ashtart**, is a goddess considered to be the western counterpart of Ishtar/Inanna. In various cultures of the ancient Near East, she was identified as a goddess of war, hunting, love, sex, horses and possibly the morning star. She was often referred to with the epithet "name-of-Baal" (or "face-of-Baal"), especially in Phoenician texts, and is assumed to be Baal's consort in many traditions. Her symbols are thought to be the lion, the panther, and perhaps the eight-pointed star.

The oldest attestations of Astarte come from the ancient city of Ebla. In Mari, the name was used interchangeably with Ishtar to refer to the same goddess. She is also known from the bronze age Emar and Ugarit. In Ugarit, she was envisioned as a warrior and hunter, and was almost always paired with **Anat**. While in Ugarit, Anat is the more prominent between them, their relevance is reversed in Emar. In the Baal cycle, she is one of Baal's allies, preventing him from attacking Yam's messengers and later seemingly participating in the battle against the sea god. In another myth, she and Anat take pity on the moon god Yarikh, unfavorably compared to a dog by other gods. The god Ashtar appears to be her male counterpart, but they aren't associated with each other in myths or rituals. Some texts raise the possibility that in Ugarit Astarte was seen as capable of cursing the opponents of her divine allies or even of humans invoking her. She was also renowned for her beauty, and in the tale of Aqhat, a mortal woman's appearance is favorably compared to Astarte's and Anat's.

In Egypt, Astarte was among the most prominent foreign deities, and was likewise often paired with Anat in myths and cultic texts. She was often depicted as a warrior on horseback there. She had a temple in Memphis and as a result was often viewed as a daughter of the Memphite tutelary god and divine craftsman, Ptah. Sometimes, Ra was regarded as her father instead. Egyptian texts consider her a consort of Seth, who in his role as a god of foreigners was conflated with Baal. A text known simply as the Astarte papyrus seemingly adapts the Yam portion of the Baal myth, preserving Astarte's role, but replacing Baal with Seth.

In later times, she was worshiped in the cities of Sidon, Tyre and Byblos, as well as in Phoenician colonies outside the Levant. However, in Carthage, the goddess Tanith seemingly played a similar role instead. The kings of Sidon were particularly involved in the cult of Astarte, and she had a prominent temple in that city.

Astarte occasionally appears in Greek and Roman sources. Philo of Byblos states that she ruled the land of the Phoenicians alongside "Adados" (Baal). Eusebius of Cesarea, a 3rd century Christian writer, records a myth according to which she was the daughter of Ouranos and had two sisters, Rhea and Dione (identified with the tutelary goddess of Byblos, Baalat Gebal). All three of them married Cronus (seemingly El). These accounts appear to combine various Greek traditions with Phoenician versions of either Canaanite or Hittite myths. Various Greek and Roman authors often compared Astarte to Aphrodite. As a result, the dove is sometimes assumed to be a symbol of Astarte.

In the Bible, she is known as Ashtoreth, seemingly an intentional misspelling meant to resemble the word bosheth, "abomination." The name is usually used in its plural form, "ashtaroth," often alongside "baalim" (the plural form of Baal's name), and refers to idols and false gods whose worship was condemned by biblical prophets. It's also plausible that the "Queen of Heaven" mentioned in Jeremiah 7:18 and 44:15-30 is either Astarte or a local form of Ishtar and as such at least analogous to her.

In popular culture, in some neopagan sources and in old biblical scholarship Astarte is often treated as interchangeable with Asherah and described as a mother goddess. This is not rooted in any historical sources, and the two goddesses have distinct attributes and roles in mythologies in which both of them appear. Asherah is a mother goddess, while Astarte generally lacks maternal characteristics, much like Ishtar.

The demon Astaroth is derived from the biblical term ashtaroth, but his history dates back only to the 15th century and doesn't incorporate any elements drawn from Astarte's mythology or cultic role. The demon's name is nonetheless treated as interchangeable with Astarte's in fiction sometimes.

## Appearance

Astaroth takes the form of a young albino girl with a voluptuous body. She has long and wavy white hair reaching down to her waist and bangs covering her forehead, and mesmerizing crimson-colored eyes. A bright-red tattoo of the star of Venus is etched onto her back.

She wears a simple white dress with gold designs and goes barefoot. She decorated herself with countless necklaces, bracelets, rings, and anklets, and on top of her head is a crown made of gold and ivory in the shape of a crescent moon, giving off the appearance that she has a pair of cow horns growing from the top of her head. Hanging from her right shoulder is an off-shoulder cape made from white linen.

As a demon, she has a total of twelve large wings growing from her lower back, each with a wingspan of roughly 4-meters in length. Her wings are made from silver and gold and ivory and are formed in the shape of a dragon's wings. And like most demons, her wings only reveal themselves on her shadows as astral projection.

## Trivia

* Her favorite food is knafeh, a dessert from the Middle East.
* She used to be a part of Lucifer's choir prior to the Heavenly War.
* She used to be one of the angels assigned to govern over the planet Venus.
* She is considered the infernal counterpart of the Holy Ghost and together with Lucifer and Beelzebub formed the Evil Trinity.
* The only known person to ever have successfully exorcised Astaroth is St. Bartholomew.
* In demonology, she is said to tempt men by means of laziness, self-doubt and rationalized philosophies.
* In occultism, she is assisted by four great demons: Amon, Barbatos, Rashaverak and Pruflas.
* According to Francis Barrett, she is the prince of accusers and inquisitors.
* Through the French Catholic priest Urbain Grandier, she was responsible for the Loudun Possessions.