Lecture: Demon Duchess ASTAROTH

ASTAROTH - Duchess

Authors note: There is debate as to the gender of Astaroth in the Ars Goetia it's listed as male yet in others its listed as female.

Dates: December 31st -January 9th (January 1st – January 10th) (Day Time)
Direction: South
Tarot: 3 of Pentacles
Planet: Venus
Metal: Copper
Element: Earth
Color: Green
Plant: Laurel
Incense: Sandalwood
Zodiac: Capricorn
Demonic Enn: Tasa Alora Foren Astaroth

Original text from the Ars Goetia:

“The Twenty-ninth Spirit is Astaroth. He is a Mighty, Strong Duke, and appears in the Form of an hurtful Angel riding on an Infernal Beast like a Dragon, and carrying in his right hand a Viper. Thou must in no wise let him approach too near unto thee, lest he do thee damage by his Noisome Breath. Wherefore the Magician must hold the Magical Ring near his face, and that will defend him. He gives true answers of things Past, Present, and to Come, and can discover all Secrets. He will declare wittingly how the Spirits fell, if desired, and the reason of his own fall. He can make men wonderfully knowing in all Liberal Sciences. He rules 40 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, which wear thou as a Lamen before thee, or else he will not appear nor yet obey thee, etc. “

Background

The name Astaroth was ultimately derived from that of 2nd millennium BCE Phoenician goddess Astarte, an equivalent of the Babylonian Ishtar, and the earlier Sumerian Inanna. She is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the forms Ashtoreth (singular) and Ashtaroth (plural, in reference to multiple statues of her). This latter form was directly transliterated in the early Greek and Latin versions of the Bible, where it was less apparent that it had been a plural feminine in Hebrew.

Appearances in literature

The name "Astaroth" as a male demon is first known from The Book of Abramelin, purportedly written in Hebrew ca. 1458, and recurred in most occult grimoires of the following centuries. Astaroth also features as an arch-demon associated with the qliphoth (adverse forces) according to later Kabbalistic texts.

Dutch demonologist Johann Weyer also described Astaroth in his Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577) thus: Astaroth is a great and a strong duke, coming forth in the shape of a foul angel, sitting upon an infernal dragon, and carrying on his right hand a viper, who also claimed to rule 40 legions, and had to be approached by the conjurer with a magical ring on account of his stinking breath. He is similarly referred to in the 17th-century work The Lesser Key of Solomon.

Astaroth's seal (according to The Lesser Key of Solomon)

According to some demonologists of the 16th century, August is the month during which this demon's attacks against man are stronger. According to Sebastien Michaelis, he is a demon of the First Hierarchy, who seduces by means of laziness, self-doubt, and rationalized philosophies. His adversary is St. Bartholomew, who can protect against him for he has resisted Astaroth's temptations. To others, he teaches mathematical sciences and handicrafts, can make men invisible and lead them to hidden treasures, and answers every question formulated to him. He was also said to give to mortal beings the power over serpents.

According to Francis Barrett (c. 1801), Astaroth is the prince of accusers and inquisitors. In art, in the Dictionnaire Infernal (1818), Astaroth is depicted as a nude man with feathered wings, wearing a crown, holding a serpent in one hand, and riding a beast with dragon-like wings and a serpent-like tail.

Astaroth is undoubtedly one of the oldest demons as well as one of the most powerful and respected. She was an early goddess among the Sumerians, known to them as the "Queen of Heaven". She also played a major role in the early development of other ancient cultures such as the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Canaanites, and Egyptians.

In each culture she played a slightly different role, but was always a powerful mother figure. She played the role of caretaker to humanity in them all. Her guidance was sought out by both gods and humans alike and she was arguably the most worshiped deity of her time.

By many accounts the goddess Astarte was one of the most slandered deities when more modern religions became popular in the ancient Middle East. The name "Astaroth" itself is a twisted version of Astarte, made to sound evil and shameful in the pronunciation of the old languages of the time. Humans in power at the time wanted to erase the old beliefs from existence and so they changed all of the reputations of the Babylonian gods and goddesses into those of "evil demons".

Astaroth is something of a politician among the demons. She counsels both humans and demons alike, but only those humans who still believe in her as a goddess. She can help one gain a good reputation and can create friendships between her followers and people with power and status in society. She knows all about the past, present, and future and can even help a person discover secrets through the prophetic dreams and visions that she shows to her followers. Of course she can also teach all about the sciences and humanities as well.

Astarte/Astaroth is said to be very tall, beautiful, and elegant with fair skin and long blonde hair. It is said that everything she does is with great ease and grace. She will only work for the greater good and those who are not true followers or wish to use her powers to take unjustly from others will be denied her good graces.