
Atargatis, The Mermaid Goddess
Atargatis, also known as Derketo by the Greeks and Dea Syriae or Deasura, (“Syrian goddess”) by the Romans, as she was a principle deity worshipped in ancient Syria.
Description[]
She was seen as the goddess of the sea, fertility, the moon, feminine powers and water; as well as the patron deity of the city Hierapolis, which would later be known as Manbij. She would also become known as the first Mermaid. Atargatis was depicted as having long, flowing hair like the water, and some of her symbols are a lion, a crescent moon, and two fish confronting one another.
In Ascalon, Atargatis was represented as half woman, half fish. Fish and doves were sacred to her; the myth records that, having fallen into a lake, Atargatis was saved by the fish, or in another version, that Atargatis was changed into a fish, and her daughter Semiramis into a dove.
Overview[]
At first, she was a goddess of fertility, but, as the mistress of her city and people, she was also responsible for their protection and well-being. Legends tell that Atargatis fell in love with a beautiful shepherd-boy and became pregnant with his child. Intent on ending the unwanted pregnancy, Atargatis fled into the sea to drown herself, but instead her body become cursed, transforming her into a half goddess and half fish creature, with a tail below the waist and human body above it.
Mermaids are said to be the most numerous of the followers of Atargatis, spreading her influence throughout the seas. Mermaids are believed to possess a connection to the Mermaid Goddess, allowing them to access her magical power in order to manipulate the ocean water, as well as the creatures that dwell within it.