Re: The Solar Goddess.

Stephanie Budin:

> For more information on the I-E Dawn Goddess, you may wish to
> look at:
> P. Friederich. _The Meaning of Aphrodite_.
> D. Boeddeker. _Aphrodite's Entry into Greek Epic_.
>
> While I disagree with their theory that Aphrodite is related to
> the I-E Dawn Goddess, they both provide up-to-date and interesting
> bibliography and theories on the Dawn Goddess in the I-E pantheons.

As far as I know Aphrodite (+ male Ares) was imported from West Semitic (Astarta
+ male Astar) where she was the Great Mother Goddess. The most early (again, as
far as I know) representation of this personage in Old Semitic was Asirat ( I
guess cognate to Egyptian Isida), who produced Akkadian Ishtar, Ugaritic Asirtu,
Ashera in Ivrit and was exported not only in Greece but also in Hittite as
Ashertu and in Hurritic as Ashtabi (a male variant - initially the
husband-servant the of the Great Goddess like Astar and Ares). By the way, in
Southern Arabia mainly male gods of this origin were spread (Astar).

Alexander