Ishtar

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ishtar 35
Alias(es)	Sky Goddess; Lady of Heaven; Mistress of Heaven; Goddess of Uruk; War Goddess 35 75 78
Species/Race	Goddess; one of two Sovereigns manifested through a shared human vessel 48 78
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Uruk and its human faction; not a member of the Three Goddess Alliance 16 76
Occupation/Role	Patron goddess and defender of Uruk; goddess of nature, harvest, love, fertility, and war 35 80
Status	Active 1069
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 16; directly appears in Chapter 35 16 35

Background / History

Ishtar and Ereshkigal emerged from divine authorities separated from the Mother Goddess Tiamat. Ishtar inherited the skyward aspect of life: fertility, growth, and vegetation, while Ereshkigal received the opposing authority of decay and death. Ancient legends consequently revered Ishtar as “Female Anu” and “King of the Universe,” placing her status alongside the Babylonian triad’s Sky Father Anu. 159

Uruk’s shrine attempted to summon Ishtar as a patron deity, chiefly because its priestesses hoped a god could restrain Gilgamesh. The ritual instead brought down both Ishtar and Ereshkigal in one host body; the offerings proved inadequate for two Sovereigns, killing the chief priestess and incapacitating the remaining participants. Ishtar then fled rather than honor the shrine’s agreement. 48

The descended Ishtar generally controls the vessel, holding three parts of its soul and seven parts of its body. Ereshkigal can temporarily surface when favorable conditions—such as nightfall, ground contact, sleep, or Ishtar’s emotional instability—allow her to seize control. 78

Personality

Ishtar is vain, impulsive, competitive, and intensely attracted to gemstones. She readily accepts tribute, seeks profit from contracts, and repeatedly attempts to claim Uruk’s treasures for herself; this greed frequently leaves her vulnerable to Samael and Gilgamesh’s schemes. 36 76 734 735

Despite her selfish habits, she is not indifferent to human suffering. She respects brave soldiers, offers Samael comfort after hearing of Babylon’s fall, and is sincerely ashamed when confronted with the names of those who died after she failed to hunt Bashum as promised. 36 75 Her protection of Uruk is often clumsy, self-interested, or accompanied by demands for payment, but she repeatedly fights when the city is truly endangered. 80 141

Her rivalry with Ereshkigal fuels much of her behavior. Ishtar resents being constrained or overshadowed by her sister, yet their conflicts can give way to cooperation when Uruk or Mesopotamia is threatened. 142 176 178

Abilities & Skills

Divine Authorities

Ishtar possesses authority over nature, harvest, love, fertility, and war. Her fertility-based divinity can support life and growth, while her war authority makes her a major combatant and Uruk’s divine protector. 35 82

• Can employ native Mesopotamian authority in battle. 82
• Condemned Enlil’s ancient flood that purged humanity, reflecting her fundamental attachment to life on the surface. 80
• Her divine power can be suppressed: the Underworld Gate strips her divinity, reducing her to a tiny sprite. 100 101

Sky Ark Ma'anna

Ma'anna is Ishtar’s celestial bow and aerial ark, used for mobility, high-output magical artillery, and large-scale defense. 100 121

• Opens spatial pathways connected to Venus and channels its light into attacks. 100
• Its Starfire bombardment created a crater large enough to open a route into the Underworld. 100
• A full-power shot tore through several storm funnels around Mount Epiph. 141
• Ishtar piloted Ma'anna to help block the mudflow threatening Uruk. 141

Noble Phantasm: Starfire That Crushes Mountains

Ishtar used this Noble Phantasm against Gugalanna, defeating the Bull of Heaven after recognizing it as the source of Mount Epiph’s collapse and the Black Tide invasion. 142

• Its use depleted her magic, leaving her unable to stop the resulting flood alone. 142
• Her initial overconfidence during the battle nearly turned the victory into a disaster for Uruk. 142

Jewel Magic and Summoning Magic

Ishtar identifies jewel magic and summoning magic as her specialties. 261

• Uses gemstones as magical resources and as payment or bargaining leverage. 100 136
• Offered these arts as support for Semiramis, her avatar and the Underworld’s chosen proxy in Assyria. 261
• Her fixation on gems can override caution, including when she signs contracts or attempts theft. 76 734

Seven-Headed Serpent Hammer

A seven-headed silver war hammer is Ishtar’s symbolic weapon as a god of war, though it is usually left unused in storage. 77

• Its seven intertwined serpent heads give it the appearance of a scepter while functioning as a terrifying war hammer. 77
• Ereshkigal can wield it while controlling their shared vessel. 78

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sky Ark Ma'anna — celestial bow/ark used for flight and divine artillery. 100 141
• Seven-Headed Serpent Hammer — symbolic war weapon. 77
• Crown of Radiance — a seven-horned Divine Spark treasure derived from the seven-piece Palla jewelry set. 180
• Ruby necklace — Ishtar’s favorite item among the seven matching Palla accessories; she entrusted it to Samael. 180
• Gugalanna / Bull of Heaven — Ishtar’s subordinate and divine beast, later revealed as a destructive Sovereign-class threat after being dominated. 76 141

Relationships

• Ereshkigal — twin sister and divine counterpart; they share a descended vessel, clash constantly, and later cooperate in remaking the Underworld. 78 142 176
• Samael — her chosen Shepherd Priest. He recruits and manipulates her through her greed and guilt, but later values her above material wealth; Ishtar grows openly possessive and jealous over him. 96 105 178 735
• Gilgamesh — longstanding rival and employer. He exploits her greed through an employment contract with hidden clauses, while Ishtar insists she has a rightful claim to Uruk and its treasury. 76 105
• Gugalanna — her Bull of Heaven and personal property. Ishtar initially cannot bear to destroy it even after it becomes dominated and threatens Uruk. 141
• Semiramis — regarded as Ishtar’s avatar; Ishtar is assigned to support the Assyrian empress as the Underworld’s proxy. 259 261
• Rin Tohsaka — Ishtar’s divine self/host in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, where she is summoned as Ereshkigal’s Servant. 1046 1047

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment to Uruk

After accidentally injuring Samael near Mount Epiph, Ishtar mistakes his jewels for tribute and accepts payment to slay the Blue Dragon Bashum. She takes the gems but intends to abandon the agreement. 35 36

Samael later confronts her with the dead soldiers’ names and the consequences of Bashum’s survival. Her guilt allows him, Gilgamesh, and Merlin to recruit her to defend Uruk and oppose the Three Goddess Alliance through a contract she signs without reading. 75 76

Underworld Expedition

Ishtar leads the group into the Underworld using Ma'anna to blast open an entrance. At the gates, Samael manipulates the judgments so that her divinity is stripped away. 100 101

The expedition brings the sisters’ rivalry into open conflict. Ishtar ultimately confronts Ereshkigal directly, calling out her self-destructive rage even while their dispute is intensified by Samael’s divided loyalties. 104 106

Gugalanna and the Flood of Uruk

Ishtar discovers that her lost Bull of Heaven has returned as the cause of Mount Epiph’s destruction and Uruk’s advancing flood. She fights Gugalanna from Ma'anna, then uses Starfire That Crushes Mountains to defeat it. 141 142

The Bull’s authority unleashes a flood that Ishtar cannot stop after exhausting her magic. Uruk is ultimately saved by the Feathered Serpent God’s Sun Calendar Stone, and Ishtar accepts punishment and compensation duties for the damage. 142 143

Paradise Lost and the Assyrian Proxy

Following the Underworld’s reconstruction, Ishtar and Ereshkigal use their combined authorities to divide it into Purgatory, Hell, and Paradise Lost. Ishtar claims the title “Star of the Morning, Queen of the Cosmos.” 176

When Mesopotamia chooses indirect intervention in Assyria, Ishtar accepts guidance from Samael and supports Semiramis as the group’s proxy. She offers jewel magic, summoning magic, and the means to create magical defenses. 261

Later Conflicts

Ishtar joins Mesopotamia’s reinforcements after a nearly two-year passage through the Sea of Chaos, arriving alongside Ereshkigal, Enkidu, and Gilgamesh to support the battle at the Eye of the Tide Sea. 478

Much later, she steals the Key Sword of the Golden City to enter Babylon’s treasury. Samael turns the attempted theft into an alliance of convenience, after which Gilgamesh and Samael restrict her share to thirty percent of the treasure. 734 735

In the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, Ishtar awakens as Rin Tohsaka’s divine self, defeats shadowy attackers, and reluctantly allies with Ereshkigal to pursue the Holy Grail. 1046 1047

Trivia

• Ishtar’s usual greed is amplified by the host vessel’s abnormal fondness for gemstones. 69
• She struggles with modern electronics, unlike Ereshkigal, who is proficient with phones and hacking. 1047
• Ishtar once tricked Enki out of treasures after getting him drunk, then escaped aboard Ma'anna before his sea monster could recover them. 87
• Her punishment for the flood disaster allowed her to avoid financial compensation by holding a cursed tablet reading, “I am a useless goddess,” which prevented her from using divine power. 143