SUCCOTH BENOTH, an Assyrian deity, whom the Jews worshipped under .the name of Astarte or Ashtaroth, and it is said that this deity was of both sexes. This physiological or androgynic union of the sexes is attributed to a form of Siva, the right side being male and left side female, and his female energy or sakti is fabled to have assumed both appearances as circumstances re quired. The Babylonian goddess identical with Succoth Benoth was Mylitta, meaning mother, and the term Mat'lla or mother is applied to the wife of Siva. Amongst the Assyrians, the women, once in their lives, bad to make a sacrifice of virtue to the goddess Succoth Benoth, Lem priere says that Succoth Benoth was a surname° of Venus, in whose temples all the women were obliged to prostitute themselves to strangers. Amongst other names of the wife of Siva is Bali or Va.li, under which appellation she assumed the form of a girl of twelve, years of affe. And
in Madura, Balane. and .other places:beautiful virgins used to go to the temple once in their lives to offer themselves in honour of the goddess. It was the belief that a god had conversed with them.—Roberts, p. 9.
SUD, Swill, or Sudhau, in Olinda Nagpur, a term which includes all Hindu castes, Brahmans, Rajputs, Goalas, Kurmis, Kahars, etc. The word means pure, and they designate the ab origines Kol, meaning vile or impiu.e, or Chuar, robber. The Kol accepted the distinctive denomi nation. Unitine. in themselves a Dravidian and Kolarian elenteit'it (the Oraon and Munda), they were in want of a generic term to distinguish them from the Sudhs, IAA to the latter they also apply the epithet Diku, a word of uncertain meaning, but not intended to be complimentary. —Dalton, Etknol. of Bengal, p. 309.