The Ishtaran living saints (pronounced ish-TARR-an) are a group of saints worshiped primarily by the inhabitants of Ishtar. Rather than merely anthropomorphizing the gods like some other cultures do, Ishtarans commonly believe that mortals can be avatars through which their deities can walk the world. These living saints, as the Ishtarans call them, are thought to have reflected their god's tenets to such a degree that they now carry a literal part of their god within them. The living saints are widely treated with awe and reverence, sometimes even to the point that they attract saints of their own. As fragments of the divine, it is believed that a saint's voice is their god's voice, their hand is their god's hand, and even their thoughts are their god's thoughts. By living in accordance with the tenets of their deity, each saint becomes so closely intertwined with the divine that the two become difficult to separate. Upon the death of a saint, it is thought that the part of the god that was within them reunites with the deity.
Each living saint is usually, though not always, associated with a particular city or region where they make their home.
List of Ishtaran living saints
| Name | Areas of Concern | Description | Patron | Patronage | Inspiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atra-Hasis | Flood mitigation, conservation, disaster recovery | Aduntarri | Marad | (link) | |
| Enmerkar | Translation, publishing | Nisaba | Mari | (link) | |
| Mete | Lenses, telescopes, black holes | Ubellur | None | ||
| Muballit | Retribution, justice, punishment | Harinna | Shuruppak | (link) | |
| Urnum | Giants, preservation of wild places, dangerous creatures of the forests | Urnum is a giant with a draconic bloodline who protects the forests outside Tammuz. | Usumu | Tammuz | (link) |
| Xisuthros | The Depths, guards, barriers | Xisuthros guards the main entrance to Kur, aided in his watch by many of his followers | Aduntarri | Birtuamurru |