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The Religions of The Courtesan

We have our own Goddesses,  yes we are them too of course :), well all women are Goddesses really arent they?   But we have had them, Goddesses dedicated to Courtesans, throughout cultures and history.

Basileia – Greek Goddess of the Courtesan was the daughter of Uranus (no sniggering at the back) and then there’s Bebhinn, in Irish mythology, Bebhinn was The Goddess of Pleasure and the name actually means beautiful woman or fair lady.

Ishtar is the Babylonian goddess of Love and War, embodied in the two aspects of the planet Venus–as Evening Star, She brings lovers to celebration and bed; and as the Morning Star, She brings the fiery sword of War. She represents one of the many faces of the ancient Near Eastern Great Goddess, among them the Phoenicians  Asherat or Ashtoreth (in Greek Astarte) and Anat, Sumerian Inanna, Phrygian Cybele, and Greek Aphrodite , most of whom share legends of dying and resurrected lovers.

As goddess of love and sex, Ishtar is the force that draws mates together and brings fertility, both for humans and animals. She is goddess of Courtesans, and sacred prostitution was part of Her cult. She is Herself a harlot who took many lovers.

As goddess of war, Ishtar takes part in battle and is shown standing on the back of a lion bearing bow and arrows. She was known for a fiery and fickle temper which usually spelled doom for Her lovers. (Oh dear!)

One of Ishtar’s lovers was the grain-god Tammuz (who still has a Jewish month named after Him). He died young (as the grain is cut just as it reaches the perfection of ripeness), and some legends imply that Ishtar had a hand in His death. But Ishtar was inconsolable and determined to fetch him back from the Underworld. At each of the seven gates of the Land of the Dead Ishtar, like Inanna, was required to give over an article of clothing or jewelry until finally She came naked and humbled before Her sister Queen Ereshkigal, who then imprisoned Ishtar.

The world mourned for the lost goddess of love, and Her father Sin the Moon God sent an envoy armed with powerful magic who successfully rescued Her. Tammuz was eventually also brought back to live in the land of the gods. The descent of Ishtar was celebrated annually in Babylonian lands.

English Courtesan