The Mermaid Goddess
Atargatis, the Ancient Mermaid Goddess of Fertility
Atargatis is an Assyrian goddess of fertility. Sometimes referenced as the “mistress of the Northern Syrian lands”, this goddess was responsible for the protection and preservation of vegetation, the land, and the sea.
As a tutelary goddess, Atargatis is often depicted with a mural crown; a crown that represents a city’s land, walls or towers.
Atargatis gains her mermaid attributes from a myth that tells the story of her love for a fish.
In this myth, Atargatis falls in love with a fish and bears a daughter from him. She soon grows ashamed of both her love for the fish and the child.
Her shame leads her to attempt to drown herself in a lake, from which she is transformed into a fish-tailed woman.
It is believed that Atargatis is the first mermaid.
As goddess and protectress of the sea, it is said that Atargatis forbade the eating of fish.
As a goddess attributed with the protection over vegetation, land, and the sea, Atargatis has also earned the role as mother goddess, evident in both her nourishing and reviving abilities.
