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# Ishtar

🏷 Semitic divine name pun · name — by Gerry · Jun 2019 · 114 words

The goddess Ishtar or Astarte is often depicted as a naked woman. This is likely because the word root √str means “covered” or “veiled”, and in Persian even “privities”, i.e. those private body parts which are usually covered up. See star.

The meaning “privities” is not attested for Akkadian, but hints that the root √str was used for sexuality appear in many languages. It may be older than admitted.

#### Persian, Hebrew, Greek str = secret things, sexual secrets, privities

ستر satr : covering, veiling, concealing; the privities — Persian (Steingass)

סתר str : secret things, mysteries; secret sins — Hebrew (Jastrow)

סתירה styrh : hiding; secret meeting (for sexual intercourse) — Hebrew (Klein)

σάτυρος satyron : satyr; lewd person — Ancient Greek (Wikt)

🏷 Semitic divine name pun · name