Ishtar

Not part of Riordanverse The following article/section is from the Sikander Aziz series continuity under Rick Riordan Presents and not the Riordanverse canon.

Ishtar is a Mesopotamian goddess of love and war.

History[]

Ishtar has taken a part in numerous battles over the millennia, such as being with Alexander the Great when he died. She also aided Hector in his fight against Achilles during the Trojan War. During World War II, she would help defend villages from the Nazi blitz.

When Gilgamesh and Enkidu completed a quest to find and kill Humbaba, the demon of the Cedar Forest, it attracted the attention of Ishtar who tried to seduce Gilgamesh but fails.^[1]

In every conflict she took part in, she would take in a war orphan to help ease the guilt somewhat.

Sikander Aziz series[]

City of the Plague God[]

After her daughter starts attending Hudson Square, she goes to pick her up and runs into Sikander Aziz. Her presence nearly cause a fist fight between a taxi driver and a truck driver, however Belet requests she not have another fight break out and she listens, causing the two to fall in love instead. When Sik tells her about deli attack, she conforms her brother-in-law was responsible and officers to tell Sik more if he comes with them. He agrees after some hesitation and they take him to their house. When they arrive at her house, she has Belet show Sik around as she tries to find the kitchen. Later she finds Sik in the weapons room and reveals that she is a Mesopotamian goddess. He is unnerved by the information and tried to leave, however she stops him and shows him what she means, by showing Sik visions of different wars she took part in, despite Belet saying it is too dangerous. After Sik somewhere recovers from the experience, she offers to pay for the damages to his family's deli and asks that he help them take out Nergal, however he refuses both and leaves.

After Sik is placed under observation, she and Belet go to the hospital to bring him to their house by telling the nurse tending to him to try dating someone else. She offers to slow down his parent's sickness as much as she can and convinces Sik to come to her house. She also invites Daoud to stay with them and distracts him from the search for Nergal by introducing him to a modeling agent. She informs Sik that the only way to save his parents is to stop Nergal and tells him of the various ways of destroying a god as she sets out alone to find her brother-in-law. She takes Daoud to various high society locations to try to lure Nergal to her but doesn’t reveal the plan to anyone.

After a couple of days Belet demands she tell her her plan, but she remains tight lipped and asks Sik if his brother might have stolen something from Nergal. When Sik gets offended by the question, she becomes enraged by his tone and Belet calms her down. Later that night, she and Sik talk about Belet and he asks how many war orphans she took in over the years. She takes him to a room filled with painting and photographs of the various children she adopted through the ages. She gives him a ring with the king's seal on it and tells him to return it to its owner in Central Park. As she tells him to look after Belet, Sargon and the other cats arrive to tell her Nergal has arrived and has Sik get Kasusu. She goes outside to greet her brother-in-law and has Belet give her Kasusu before the two gods fight. The fight results in shockwaves that destroy most of the block. She tosses Kasusu to Belet when a demon nearly kills Sik and is soon impaled by Nergal. As she turns into stardust, she says goodbye to Sik and Belet.

She later appears in Kugnuri, stopping her sister from killing the Aziz brothers. She talks her sister out of killing Sik and tells her to send him to find the original Flower of Immortality at the Sea of Tiamat and fight Humbaba, a creature immune to attacks, to get the right boat. Sik also tells her of Belet's desire to trade places with her and she warns Sik of the dangers of a second exposure to the flower.

Fury of the Dragon Goddess[]

In an altered destiny, Ishtar adopts Sik and Mo after their parents died of an illness in the Markazi refugee camp when Sik was young while Belet Amari was adopted by Lugal instead. In this destiny, Ishtar was delighted when Mo, who had stronger memories of what it was like to be a refugee, took an interest in fashion and the finer things in life. Ishtar supported Sik's interest in ballet and how to fight, making it fun for him and teaching Sik how to use the weapons in the armory properly. On Sik's eleventh birthday, Ishtar gives him Kasusu, intending for Sik to stop Lugal's jihad.

As a final gift, Dumuzi arranges for Sik to talk to Ishtar who tells her son to show Lugal that there's much more than the god's pain and anguish, to let the light into the god's mind rather than the darkness which will do so much more than destroy him. Ishtar encourages Sik to save Belet by believing in her and to write his own kismet.

After Tiamat is killed and the Tablet of Destinies is wiped clean, Sik and Mo are restored to their original destinies, although Sik manages to resurrect Mo.

Appearance[]

Ishtar is a goddess with dark hair and eyes with an olive complexion. She is considered attractive by the populous and wears traditional Mesopotamian clothing. She has a "deep purr" of a voice with a posh accent, and entrancing eyelashes.^[2]

Personality[]

Ishtar takes advantage of her beauty. She enjoys letting fights breakout and watching them play out, but despite her enjoying conflict, she does feel guilt over the lives that war affects.

Abilities[]

• Amokinesis: As the Goddess of Love, Ishtar has control over love and desire.
• Odikinesis: As the Goddess of War, Ishtar has control over the elements of war, including emotions like rage and anger.
• Telumkinesis: As the Goddess of War, Ishtar has absolute control and divine authority control over weapons.

Trivia[]

• Another name for Ishtar is Inanna.
• She has a matchmaking service called the Two Rivers Matchmaker.
• Ishtar drives a Jaguar.
• Her Greek/Roman counterparts are Aphrodite/Venus, Athena/Minerva, and Ares/Mars.
• Her Egyptian counterparts are Hathor, Sekhmet, Onuris, and Mekhit.
• Her Norse counterparts are Freya and Tyr.
• Her Hindu counterparts are Kamadeva, Rati and Kartikeya.
• Her Mayan counterparts are Ixchel and Nakon.

References[]