Astarte and the Sea (also pAmherst IX or simply the Astarte Papyrus) is an Egyptian hieratic tale, dating from the New Kingdom, which relates a story about the goddess Astarte and her rival Yam. Though Astarte and Yam appear to have originated as Canaanite deities, both were, at times, worshipped in ancient Egypt as well.
Contents Yam, a deity who is a personification of the sea, demands tribute from the gods. If his demands are not met, he will overrun the "sky, earth, and mountains." Astarte brings tribute from Ptah, Nut, and Renenutet, who were native deities. Yam changes the deal: he wants her as his wife and divine jewelry that would grant him lordship over the world.
The conclusion to the tale is inferred from a papyrus fragment which mentions the god Seth, who appears to triumph over Yam.
Scholarship Interpretation has been a matter of continuous tweaking and addition.
History This narrative was unnoticed until the photographic edition of Percy E NewberryPercy E. Newberry, The Amherst Papyri in the Collection of the Right Hon. Lord Amherst of Hackney, London: Quaritch, 1899, p. 47, pl. xix–xxi. in 1899, after first mention in 1871.
Epistemic bind The difficulty of study according to Pehal:
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