The temple of the Syrian Goddess (2)

Text
pseudo-Lucian, De Dea Syria 14:
Others, however, think that Semiramis the Babylonian, whose deeds in Asia are many, also founded this site and that she founded it not for Hera, but for her own mother, whose name was Derceto. I saw a likeness of Derceto in Phoenicia, a strange sight! It is a woman for half its length, but from the thighs to the tips of the feet a fish’s tail stretches out. The Derceto in the Holy City, however, is entirely a woman, and the grounds for their account are not very clear. They consider fish something sacred and they never touch one. They eat all other birds, apart from the dove. For them this is sacred. They think that these customs came about on account of Derceto and Semiramis, the first because Derceto has the form of a fish, and the second because Semiramis ultimately became a dove. Well, perhaps I accept the temple as a work of Semiramis, but I certainly cannot believe that the sanctuary belongs to Derceto.

Source (list of abbreviations) (source links will open in a new browser window)
pseudo-Lucian, De Dea Syria 14

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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