Ashtaroth was one of the three frog-like spirits that came forth from the mouths of Nicolae Carpathia, Leon Fortunato, and the dragon, to inhabit the Carpathia-clone bodies in the book Armageddon. Ashtaroth, along with his lookalikes Baal and Cankerworm, were defeated by Jesus Christ in Glorious Appearing, and cast out into the Lake of Fire for all eternity.
Appearances[]
- Armageddon
- Glorious Appearing (death)
Mythology, History and Literature[]
NOTE: The following information is based on real-world material that is outside the context of the Left Behind franchise universe.
Depiction of Astarte on a relief stele, discovered at the Tower of David
Astharoth is an alternative name for Astarte, a Phoenician and Mesopotamian goddess of war, fertility and love. Much like Baal, she is mentioned in several books of the Bible as a false divinity that Israelites should not worship.
She has been equated with several other deities, such as the Aphrodite (Greek), Venus (Roman), Turan (Etruscan), Ishtar (Babylonian), Inanna (Summerian), Hathor and Isis (Egyptian), as well as Freya (Germanic) and Durga (Hindu).
In later Christian demonology Astharoth (or Astaroth) is not just a man-made idol, but a fallen angel turned demon and one of the Satan's principal lieutenants, notably as a Duke of Hell.
As a demon, the entity has appeared in countless works of literature and pop culture besides Left Behind, such as John Milton's Paradise Lost, The Golem: How He Came into the World, H.P. Lovecraft's The Horror at Red Hook, DC Comics, Dungeons & Dragons, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, CW's Supernatural and Mike Mignola's Hellboy-comics, usually appearing in a villainous capacity.
The demon's sigil appears in some CD editions of the Tool album Ænima.
Trivia[]
- In the Dramatic Audio, Ashtaroth, Baal, and Cankerworm had shrill voices in their normal forms.