Jezebel, oh Jezebel... Part 2

Just a brief note from Barbara Walker's "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets."

Jezebel
Sidonian queen of Israel, maligned in the Bible for worshipping Astarte instead of Yahweh. (1)  Jezebel and her husband King Ahab were murdered in a civil war fomented by Yahweh's devotees.  Her daughter, Athaliah became queen, but seven years later she too was murdered by treachery.  (2 Kings 11:16).  Thus, worship of the Goddess was abandoned.(2)

Notes:

(1) Boulding, 236.
(2) Stone, 188.

*************************************************************

Well - not really.  The worship of Astarte a/k/a Ashtoreth a/k/a Asherah never totally disappeared.  Her "poles" and sacred groves of trees remained on scattered sacred high areass in Israel as well as throughout the Middle East (and elsewhere all through Europe and Asia) right through the time of Buddha, Zoaroaster, Confucius, Christ, Mohammed, and thereafter.  The Goddess gave the early 'founding fathers' of Christendom fits because women would insist, year after year, on producing their 'hot cross buns' at Easter as well as promoting such symbols of the ancient fertility goddess as eggs and rabbits!  Across the world, the fathers of various patriarchal-oriented religions tried to wipe out the worship of the Goddess - to no avail.  Even today, in the Islamic Republic of Iran the festivities of Nowruz, harking back to celebrations surrounding the Persian version of the fertility/warrior goddess is popularly celebrated throughout the countrby Muslims. 

Many of the ancient sacred spots of the Goddess survive today, under a gloss whatever religion happens to hold sway in the particular country in which the Goddess' sacred places are located.