From all the Sumerian mythology of Ancient Mesopotamia, Perhaps the most famous but least understood goddess is Inanna, the great Sumerian goddess. At we not only tell you the stories of the gods of Ancient Egypt, we will also tell you the entire history of this enigmatic goddess also called “the lady of the sky”. Join us to learn about the myth of Inanna and why she descended into hell!
Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of sexuality and aggressiveness, she appears in many ancient myths and legends and even today continues to fascinate us with her great story.
Inanna, the great Sumerian goddess
In ancient times Inanna was known as the mother goddess, giver of life. Later, for some she was also the goddess of fruitful and voluptuous love, a great mother and, therefore, divinity of marriage and procreation. Inanna, the Sumerian goddess, plays a double role, on the one hand, the goddess of procreation and, on the other, She was worshiped as an eminently warrior goddesswarlike, lady of armies.
In the Greco-Roman world, one could say that its equivalent is: Aphrodite, Artemis and Hera. As a curious fact about the Sumerian goddess Inanna, her popularity was so great that she was even worshiped in Rome, so if you are wondering what to see in Rome, you could visit one of her temples. There she was worshiped under the manifestations of Juno (queen of the sky and celestial light) and Venus (goddess of spring and protector of gardens and vineyards).
Being such an ancient Sumerian goddess, Inanna has a really confusing family tree. On the one hand, it is attested that his father was Anu, god of the sky, member of the great cosmic triad of which Enlil and Ea, who represent water and earth, are also part. However, also Paternity is attributed to the god Enlil so it is not really known who was the father of the Sumerian goddess. On the other hand, this Sin (moon), like the mother of Inanna, which belongs to the astral triad where Shamash and Inanna herself are, represent the sun and the planet Venus, respectively.
Inanna’s brothers, unlike the Greek gods, are really few; Astarte, Aliyan, Anat and Ereshkigal. On the other hand, Dumuzi is mentioned as a husband in the myth of Inanna. Inanna, the Sumerian goddess, is queen of pleasures and love.. Therefore, apart from her husband, she has had affairs with many mythological characters, among them the most important: Anu, yes, who is also believed to have been his father.
Some historians affirm that being part of the astral triad, Inanna is a Sumerian goddess but she is also a supreme god.. In his book History of Religions Simón, J. tells us “Inanna or Ishtar is also the goddess of love and war, precisely Venus and Mars at the same time, since it had two sexesbeing like that planet, goddess in the afternoon and god in the morning.» She was represented on her great throne, she directed combats, struck down enemies and did not allow mercy.
The places where he had the greatest cult were in the main cities of Mesopotamia: Uruk, Ur, Babylon, Ashur, Nineveh and Arbela.
The myth of Inanna
The story of Inanna is written in the form of a poem on Mesopotamian clay tablets in cuneiform writing. It was written between 1900 AD and 3500 AD, although some historians believe it may be even older. These tablets tell us about the journey of Inanna (in some writings she appears as the Sumerian goddess Ishtar), on her descent into hell.. Inanna, the Sumerian goddess, owner and mistress of the heavens, is revealed to us as a fantastic protagonist – with violent feelings – because in her adventures, Ambition occupies as much space as love…
And although she is – as her name indicates – the owner of the sky or “great one of the heights”, Inanna, the Sumerian goddess, also wishes to increase her power. For it, sets out to rule the underworld “The greatest of the abysses”, he then decides to descend into hell.
The underworld is ruled by Ereshkigal, Inanna’s sister. The Sumerian goddess is portrayed as a young woman who is impetuously carried away by her desires. Inanna is obsessed with going down to the underworld to take power from Ereshkigal., and with the excuse of attending the funeral of Gugalanna, her sister’s husband, she descends to the underworld. Along the way he leaves, like all those who die, a piece of clothing in each of the 7 doors that lead to him. Without realizing it, when he arrives before Ereshkigal, who suspected the bad intentions of his sister, Inanna, the Sumerian goddess, is dead and her corpse lies hanging from a hook..
Inanna, farsighted, had told her servants that if she did not return in 3 days They went to their father to implore him to take them out of the underworld.. They manage to revive her, but In order to leave the place permanently, she needs someone to replace her.. Inanna thinks of several possible substitutes… Finally, when she sees her own husband, who instead of mourning her death, is dressed in rich clothing and has taken power. Then, angry, she decides that it will be her husband, Dumuzi, who will replace her.
Dumuzi’s sister, Geshtinanna – who adores her brother – offers to go to the underworld in his place, so they divide the year halfway, 6 months each. Inanna finally regrets sending Dumuzi to the underworld, but knows that every half year he will return to her.
This last part of the myth of Inanna serves as a basis to explain – as with the myth of Persephone and Demeter in Greece – the phenomenon of changing seasons. At that time, the Mesopotamian civilization assimilated autumn and winter in relation to the recovery of strength and purity, both of the land and of men; while summer and spring were associated with fertility and flowering.
So, the months that Dumuzi and Inanna spend together correspond to spring and summer, that is, to fertility and flowering, and those that are separated to autumn and winter.
Inanna, the Sumerian goddess, is the goddess of love, sexuality, beauty and desire, but also of war and combat. For Sumerian mythology She was one of the most popular and important goddesses, which brought together both positive and negative qualities. What did you think of the myth of Inanna, the great Sumerian goddess? Do you think she is a heroine as the Sumerians considered her or a capricious goddess who received punishment from her?
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