As the offspring of the sun-god, the anticipated child would itself lay
claim to deity, and by proxy, she, Semiramis, would henceforth be the
"mother of god."
On December 25 Tammuz, the child of the sun-god, was born. His birth was
hailed as a great miracle. Falling as it did during the slowly lengthening
days immediately after the winter solstice; it was also seen as an omen of
the sun's rebirth and was heralded by tumultuous rejoicing.
December 25 was thereafter observed as the birthday of the son of the
sun-god, and became a yearly feast day throughout the kingdom.
Like his supposed father Nimrod, Tammuz was reputed to have been a great
hunter. Perhaps his greatest conquest of all, however, was his mythical
union with Ishtar, the mother goddess who embodied all the reproductive
energies of nature. Also variously regarded as the moon goddess and the
queen of heaven, Ishtar was the principal female deity of the Assyrians.
This same goddess, with certain variations, can be identified in other
cultures as Ashtoreth (Phoenecian), Astarte (Greek and Roman),
Eostre
(Teutonic), and Eastre (Saxon). Rabbits and eggs were both symbols of life
and fecundity that early came to be identified with Ishtar. The yearly
celebration honoring her took place around the first full moon after the
spring equinox, when all of nature seemed to be bursting with reproductive
vitality.
Unfortunately, the youthful Tammuz (also known as Adonis, meaning "lord," in
classical mythology) met an untimely death at the tusk of a wild boar. Some
accounts say that after three days Tammuz miraculously