Ishara : The Scorpion Goddess

Ishara, who was the tutelary goddess of Ebla, was a notable figure in the ancient city of Damascus. Although her name is not known to have come from a specific linguistic source, there were also various West Semitic and Hurrian etymologies, but they did not find sufficient support.

Her cult was able to reach other cities in the Near East, including Ebla. In addition, she was also worshipped in other cities such as Alalakh, Ugarit, and Mari. The worship of Ishara was spread to Mesopotamia through these cities. The Hurrians adopted her after they arrived in Syria, and she eventually made her way to the Hittite Pantheon.

In various areas and time periods, she was given various functions. In Ebla, she was regarded as the family's tutelary deity, but she was also a love goddess. In Mesopotamia, she was associated with various other notable individuals such as Ishtar and Kanisurra. In the Hurrian religion, she was associated with Allani, who was regarded as the queen of the dead. She was also known as a divine guardian of oaths and a goddess of divination.

There is very little information on how the goddess Ishara was represented in her physical form but some records denote warlike features due to her association with weapons. In later periods, when boundary stones were made, Ishara was represented by the scorpion instead of the bashmu. It is not clear why the change occurred, or how it was attributed to her. In Babylonian astronomy, she was also associated with a star known as the Scorpion Star.