Another proposed Semitic etymology compares Aphrodite to the Assyrian barīrītu, the name of a female demon that appears in Middle Babylonian and Late Babylonian texts…

Bariritu

Caressed by moonlight, the ancient goddess stands
her milky skin from virgin stone unveiled
by a sightless man with dusty hands
He died when work was done: kneeling, trembling
with age and fear, before her gaze palpable
She had loomed above his crumpled husk
Hued with life by the reddish dusk

–  © 2013 copyright by c.d. keimling – manversespoetry.com

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