Shiba Shingetsu / Sailor Astarte

**Sheba Shingetsu** (芝神月, sometimes called Sheba Shingetsu or Shiva Shingetsu) is a character who appears in the Sailor Moon musicals and Pretty Guardian Sailor Astarte. She is the civilian identity of Sailor Astarte.

## Sheba Shingetsu

### Likes

Mochi, Usagi, hanging out with the sailor senshi, mythology

## Nomenclature & Etymology

### Etymology

Shiba is a major god in the Hindu religion. Shingetsu means enlightenment. Astarte is the Greek name of the goddess Ishtar.

## Appearance

### Civilian

Shiba has brown eyes and short brown hair that she wears in a bob. The outfit that Shiba usually wears is a blue school sailor uniform. The uniform has a blue sailor collar with three red stripes. She has a blue ribbon on the front of her uniform. She has a white blouse with blue sleeve-cuffs that have three red stripes, just like the collar.

### Sailor Guardian

Sailor Astarte wears a red and yellow sailor uniform. Her hair is dark brown and in a short bob. Her collar, boots, the top part of her bow, sleeves, choker, back bow and tiara gem are red. Her glove rims, underskirt and bottom part of her bow are yellow. Her sleeves are short (like a single version of Super Sailor Moon's sleeves) and her boots are like Sailor Moon's. Her broach is also on her costume.

## Information

### Astarte

She was the physical incarnation of the goddess Astarte. Lilith of Darkness encouraged her to believe that she was the true princess of the Moon, not Sailor Moon, and as such should be the ruler of the world. This effort was motivated by Lilith's intent to bring her to Death Vulcan's side during the battle against the Sailor Guardians and also to use Astarte's powers and her body as a vessel for Dark Cain. Baron Gilles de Rais showed concern about Astarte's ultimate role in the battle, as Dark Cain had said that once the goddess was fully awakened, it was impossible to know which side she would choose. Lilith, however, thought it was unimportant, as either way the fate of humanity would be determined soon.

### Shiba Shingetsu

She is a transfer student of descent from the ancient Phoenicians. Hotaru has noted that her shadow sometimes disappears and she is referred to as "another swish person" by Elizabeth Bathory. Not much of her family is known, apart from the fact that her mother was separated from her in Eastern Europe while traveling, three years ago.

She is introduced as a socially awkward girl whom Usagi infers stems from Sheba's incessant traveling. Sheba is discovered to be Astarte, and the Sailor Guardians begin to have their suspicions and doubts about Sheba's character after she insults the Solar System Senshi's abilities.

After coming with the Sailor Guardians to Michiru's concert tour in East Europe, she awkwardly and silently struggles through traveling with Usagi as her only supportive friend. Her strange behavior once goes to the extreme in a bad joke, where she puns the name Andersen with a deru (bean paste comes out): in reply to Ami's reference to Hans Christian Andersen, Sheba replies with "Squish the manjuu (bean paste bun) and outcomes some bean paste" to bring confused and shocked looks from the Sailor Senshi. Usagi, in a desperate attempt to make things more comfortable for her, forces everyone to laugh and draws attention away from Sheba's very strange comment.

In a revelations scene, Usagi and Sheba share their feelings, and Sheba reveals her mother's disappearance after which she broke down forever on the inside. Sheba confides in Usagi her suspicions that her Dissociative Personality Disorder will soon 'kill' her good personality, the one which Sailor Astarte is a part of. The doubts of her status as a Sailor Senshi and even of the existence of the planet Astarte are revealed and she then faints in weakness.

### Sailor Astarte

Sailor Astarte was the Sailor Guardian form of first-year Juban High School student Sheba Shingetsu Astarte, and the alternate form of the goddess Astarte. She was under the thrall of Lilith of Darkness and was in the plans the priestess had for the Sailor Guardians and Bloody Dracul Vampir, as well as being the vessel for Lilith's powerful right-hand man, Dark Cain, who managed to control her from time to time.

Despite the priestess' power over her, she showed herself to be a Sailor Guardian to the others at the end of the first part of a musical. She was powerful enough that she almost killed Baron Gilles de Rais herself, and he certainly would have died if he hadn’t escaped at the last moment. As the play progressed, however, Astarte's power became weaker, until she was no longer able to keep her transformation or her original self, which was increasingly encroached upon by Dark Cain. Ultimately, she lost her soul to Lilith and became Dark Cain once and for all. Sailor Moon, who had believed in her to the end, was unable to save her even when Lilith was defeated. Sailor Astarte was never seen in the musicals after this, though she was referred to, briefly, in Last Dracul Saishuu Shou - Chou Wakusei Death Vulcan no Fuuin.

As Sailor Astarte was a one-time character, her ultimate impact on plots before and after Transylvania no Mori was extremely limited. Even in the musicals, she was in, her role was very limited and her total screen time was approximately eight minutes. As a result, much about her is unknown. She had lived for a very long time, but nothing past the little information that was given in the musicals can be confirmed.

## Sailor Guardian info

### Phrases

At the only time, Sheba attempted to transform into Sailor Astarte, she was only able to say "Moon Astarte" before being struck unconscious by Death Vulcan's spirit controlling her. Because of this, her exact transformation phrase is unknown. It may have been "Moon Astarte, Make Up!" In the fan story, that is her exact phrase.

### Powers

Sailor Astarte and Dark Cain both draw power from the mother goddess' might. Her magic is extensively powerful and most attacks draw from Jewish theology and mythology.

### Attacks

* Solomon Jihad - Sailor Astarte used this attack used to disable the Samael Sword.
* Solomon Versus- A power that revived the fallen Sailor Guardians after they were struck down by the Samael Sword.

* Cain the Dark - Dark Cain (as Astarte) used this evil attack to harm the Sailor Guardians.

* Cain the Manipulate - An attack used in the Revised edition to as the name suggests, manipulate.

* Samael Cain Solomon - Lilith and Dark Cain (as Astarte) jointly performed this attack.

* Samael Cain the Solomon - Astarte alone performed this attack.

* Samael Astaroth - Astaroth is a mythological demon a prince of hell, named after Astarte herself.

* Samael Belzébuth - Belzébuth is the French name for Beezlebub, another prince of hell.

* Bachalyas baryolos lagoz Atha cabyolas - This is a fragmented extract from the nonsensical Wiccan chant Eko Eko Azarak (which was popularized by a Japanese horror manga by the same name). It is used to call upon a higher power (i.e. a god or a demon)

* Sazamekite Nagare,-en no Uchi ni useyo insei no bi ni yoi, araware-de de ketsumatsu o tsuke yo - This is a chant which is used by both Lilith and Astarte, later used in the sequel by Death Vulcan in calling upon a power to perform very strong magic.
	+ Reversing the Tree of Life - Anti-Malkhut, Anti-Keter, Anti-Tif'eret, Anti-Yesod, Anti-Malkhut. This chant was used by Dark Cain as Astarte and Lilith conjointly to open the door to death. It is essentially saying the middle branch of the kabbalah tree of life in reverse (without Da'at).

### Items

* Goddess Broach
* Astarte Sword

## Mythology

The goddess Astarte was the Phoenician goddess of war, fertility, love, and the planet Venus, as well as the Moon. She was considered a principal goddess of the Phoenician pantheon, and a ruler of the world at one point and her centers of worship included Sidon and Tyre in her Phoenician form.

The mythology surrounding the goddess Astarte is complex, as she is connected to many goddesses in other cultures. Astarte was brought into the Greek culture as Aphrodite by ancient Cypriots who came in contact with the Phoenicians. She was also equated with the Egyptian goddess Isis, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, and the Babylonian god Ba'al. Her sacred day was Friday.