Asherah

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Asherah
アシェラト
SMTSJGMT Artwork from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Artwork from Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
Other Name(s)	AthiratGiten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
Origin	Levantine culture
Race(s)	LadyShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Shin Megami Tensei IV Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2
Alignment(s)	Light-ChaosShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

Asherah is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Athirat is the name of a major goddess in Ugaritic religion. She is most commonly presented as the consort of El, the head of the Ugaritic pantheon, and is associated with motherhood, fertility, sacred trees, and the divine family. In Ugaritic texts, she bears titles such as ʾElat, "goddess", the feminine form of El, and qnyt ỉlm, often interpreted as "progenitress of the gods". She is also described as the mother or nurse of the gods, reflecting her role as queen of the divine household rather than only a generic fertility figure.

In the Baal Cycle, Athirat plays an important mediating role in the establishment of Baal's kingship. After Baal defeats Yam and seeks permission to build a palace, he and Anat are unable to secure El's approval directly. Athirat is then approached with gifts and successfully petitions El on Baal's behalf, allowing Baal's palace to be built and confirming his royal status among the gods. Her role in this narrative reflects her authority within the divine council and her position as El's consort and queen.

Cognate names were used for related deities in other Semitic-speaking areas. The Akkadian form Ašratu or Aširatu is attested in Mesopotamian sources, while the Amorite form Ashratum appears in second-millennium BCE Amorite-Akkadian material and is the form described in Asherah's Liberation Dx2 compendium entry. Related forms also appear in Hittite sources as Ašertu or Ašerdu, and in South Arabian inscriptions as ʾAṯirat.

The name is also cognate to the Hebrew word Asherah, which, as used in the Hebrew Bible, usually refers to a cultic object, often understood as a sacred tree, wooden pole, or stylized tree, and only occasionally refers to a deity; an example of the latter usage appears in 1 Kings 18:19. The relationship between the goddess and the cultic object remains debated, since the object may have represented the goddess, marked her presence, or functioned as a symbol associated with her worship.

The Hebrew Bible frequently condemns the making, planting, and destruction of asherah objects, particularly in the Deuteronomistic History. These passages associate them with local shrines, altars, standing stones, and worship outside the exclusive cult of YHWH. According to 2 Kings, King Manasseh placed an image of Asherah in the Jerusalem Temple, while King Josiah later removed and destroyed it as part of his religious reforms.

Some scholars have proposed that Asherah was worshiped as the wife or consort of YHWH, based especially on inscriptions from Kuntillet ʿAjrud and Khirbet el-Qom. Several inscriptions from Kuntillet ʿAjrud invoke "YHWH of Samaria" or "YHWH of Teman" together with "his asherah," while an inscription from Khirbet el-Qom uses a similar blessing formula. These inscriptions suggest that at least some ancient Israelites associated YHWH with Asherah, possibly as a consort, cult symbol, or protective divine presence.

This interpretation remains contested, owing to the Hebrew word's use for a cultic object and the grammatical difficulty of reading "his asherah" as a proper divine name. Some scholars understand the phrase as referring to a sacred object associated with YHWH rather than to the goddess herself, while others argue that the object and goddess should not be sharply separated in ancient Israelite religious practice.

Design

Asherah's design in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is apparently inspired by the Zentai suits worn by the supporting dancers featured in the Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 video for Boom Boom Pow.^{[citation needed]}

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei IV

BossAlly

	Name Level HP MP Asherah 85 6426 2892	Strength 142 Dexterity 142 Magic 142 Agility 142 Luck 142
Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills EXP Lady Chaos 3873
Drop Chakra Pot (1%) Balm of Rising (1%) —
Resistances — — RpRepel WkWeak RsResist RpRepel NuNull NuNull ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1¼×1.25 ×½×0.50 ×1 ×1 ×1
Ailment Resistances Null Null Null Null Null
Basic Attack Element Hits(s) Target Effect Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills Skill Cost Description Silent Prayer 15 MP Removes everyone's stat changes. Megidolaon 60 MP Heavy Almighty damage to all enemies. Maragidyne 32 MP Heavy Fire damage to all enemies. Blight 14 MP Weak Phys damage with 60% chance of Poison to all enemies. Grand Tack 11 MP Heavy Gun damage to one enemy. Diarama 9 MP 300 HP recovery to one ally.

	Name Level HP MP Asherah 51 427 192	Strength 57 Dexterity 57 Magic 57 Agility 57 Luck 57
Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills Speech C. CostCompendium Summoning Cost Fusion Condition Lady Chaos — — Clear "Ishtar, the Goddess of Harvest"
Resistances — — RplRepel WkWeak StrStrong RplRepel NulNull — ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1
Ailment Resistances ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills Skill Cost Description Level Maragion 20 MP Medium Fire damage to all enemies. Innate Grand Tack 11 MP Heavy Gun damage to one enemy. Innate Diarama 9 MP 300 HP recovery to one ally. 52 Samarecarm 1 MP Revives one ally from K.O. with full HP. 54

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

	Name Level HP MP Asherah 51 462 293	Strength 50 Dexterity 85 Magic 75 Agility 45 Luck 57
Race AlignmentFactored with certain skills Speech C. CostCompendium Summoning Cost Lady Chaos Temptress 33510
Resistances — — NuNull WkWeak — NuNull — WkWeak ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1¼×1.25 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1¼×1.25
Ailment Resistances ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1 ×1
Skill Affinity — +2 +2 −5 −2 +3 — — +1 — +4 —
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Effect Phys 1 Single enemy —
Skills Skill Cost Description Level Maragion 24 MP Medium fire damage to all foes. Innate Grand Tack 11 MP Heavy gun damage to one foe. Innate Diarama 16 MP Restores medium amount of HP to one ally. 52 Judgement 50 MP Medium almighty damage to all foes. Neutral target takes 50% more damage. 53 Samarecarm 40 MP Revives one dead ally with HP fully restored. 54

Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation

BossAlly

	Name Level HP MP Athirat 50 7724 524
Location Mother Venus Cult HQ 4th Floor
Race Divine Clan Alignment EXP Macca Magnetite Item Speech Lady Babel LwLaw: 0 CsChaos: 47 LtLight: 30 DkDark: 0 51240 2642 1318 — (—⁄255) Old-Fashioned Woman
Intuition Mind Magic Intelligence Blessing Strength Vitality Agility Dexterity Charm Fate 54 52 57 36 41 78 70 62 27 75 10
Sword Gun Bullets Head Torso Arm Leg Accessory Ice Wolf Sword — — — Aqua Dress — — —
Sword Gun Magic Accuracy 109+84 38 46 Attack 30+98 1 57+6 Evasion 84+12 38 38 Defense 33+23 33+23 46+14 Bullets — Resistances Sword Phys Fire Ice Force Elec Light Nerve Dark Ruin ×1 ×1 ×½×0.50 ×⅖×0.40 ×1 DrDrain NuNull NuNull NuNull NuNull
Moon Effect 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Sword 1 1
Skills Skill Attribute Cost Description Zionga Electricity 20 MP Concentrates a large lightning strike on 1 enemy. Aqua Cutter Ice 15 MP Goddess Smile Ruin 22 MP Ziondyne Electricity 31 MP Launches a concentrated attack one 1 enemy with an unimaginable lightning strike. Mazionga Electricity 38 MP Assaults the enemy with powerful lightning strikes that extend all over. Diarahan Sword 40 MP Completely heals one person. Water Wall Ice 6 HP Dekaja Sword 10 MP Casts a barrier destruction effect over the general area, nullifying -kaja and -nda effects.

	Name Level HP MP Athirat 48 1686 632
Location Fusion Only
Race Divine Clan Alignment CostSummon Cost CPMagnetite used while in party Lady Babel LwLaw: 0 CsChaos: 47 LtLight: 30 DkDark: 0 3182 81
Intuition Mind Magic Intelligence Blessing Strength Vitality Agility Dexterity Charm Fate 52 50 55 35 39 75 68 60 26 72 10
Sword Gun Bullets Head Torso Arm Leg Accessory — — — — — — —
Sword Gun Magic Accuracy 105 36 45 Attack 29 1 55 Evasion 81 36 37 Defense 32 32 44 Bullets —
Equip Type Skill Groups Acquisition Rate Goddess Zio Line, Water Line, Healing Line — Resistances Sword Phys Fire Ice Force Elec Light Nerve Dark Ruin ×1 ×1 ×½×0.50 ×⅖×0.40 ×1 DrDrain NuNull NuNull NuNull NuNull
Moon Effect 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Basic Attack Element Hit(s) Target Sword 1 1
Skills Skill Attribute Cost Description Zionga Electricity 20 MP Concentrates a large lightning strike on 1 enemy. Aqua Cutter Ice 15 MP Goddess Smile Ruin 22 MP Ziondyne Electricity 31 MP Launches a concentrated attack one 1 enemy with an unimaginable lightning strike. Mazionga Electricity 38 MP Assaults the enemy with powerful lightning strikes that extend all over. Diarahan Sword 40 MP Completely heals one person.

Compendium

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey	A Semitic goddess who was the one to bring fertility to the Babylonian lands. She is known as the mother of the gods. It is believed that in Phoenicia, she became Astarte.
Shin Megami Tensei IV	A Semitic goddess who was the one to bring fertility to the Babylonian lands. She is known as the mother of the gods. It is believed that in Phoenicia, she became Astarte.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse	A Semitic goddess who was the one to bring fertility to the Babylonian lands. She is known as the mother of the gods. It is believed that in Phoenicia, she became Astarte.

Game Appearances

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)

Asherah is the true form of Asura, having been given the power to turn back into her by Mother Tiamat. Encountered in Sector Fornax, Asura transforms into Asherah to stop the Protagonist from reaching her. Asherah declares that the demons and chosen humans will restore the Earth through destruction and attacks the Protagonist regardless of what he tells her. When defeated, Asherah feebily speaks out to Tiamat to warn her of the Protagonist's approach.

End of spoilers.

Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation

This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)

Athirat is one of the demons that devour Yuuka Tachibana in Hatsudai Shelter, she holds the torso of Yuuka within her.

Athirat is the demon that Shizuna Kakusei, leader of the Mother Venus cult summons for killing Ayato Katsuragi, and so after saying that the previous demons that have perished againts Katsuragi have only done so because they have underestimated him, but that his good luck has ended and so a fight begins. Athirat tells Katsuragi upon dying that they had a good fight, and so she perishes.

End of spoilers.

Trivia

• Asura is called "Asherah" when shown at the end of Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Asherah
Japanese	アシェラトShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Shin Megami Tensei IV Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Asherato	Seemingly a blend of "Asherah" and "Athirat"
	アシラトGiten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation Ashirato	Athirat
Traditional Chinese	亞舍拉 Yàshělā	Asherah
Korean	아슈르 Asyureu	Asherah

Gallery

• 
  Artwork from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
• 
  Artwork of Athirat and the Fertility Goat by Katsumi Aizaki for Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
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  Sprite from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
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  Sprite from Shin Megami Tensei IV
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  Sprite from the PC-98 version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
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  Attack sprite from the PC-98 version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
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  Hurt sprite from the PC-98 version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
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  Sprite from the Windows version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
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  Attack sprite from the Windows version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
• 
  Hurt sprite from the Windows version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
• 
  Portrait graphic from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
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  Asherah eating the body of Yuuka Tachibana in the PC-98 version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
• 
  Asherah eating the body of Yuuka Tachibana in the Windows version of Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation
• 
  Model from Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2