Inanna,
Ancient Goddess of Sumer | |
Inanna, Queen of Heaven, tricked
her father Enki (the God of Wisdom) into giving her his instruments
for civilizing mankind. These tools included the valuable Tablets of
Destiny. Enki tried to get them back, but with no success.
Inanna was now all powerful, but she felt very lonely.
Soon the beautiful Inanna had two
suitors—a farmer named Enkidu and a shepherd named Dumuzi.
They both lavished gifts upon her, but the delicate, soft woolens
from Dumuzi tipped the scales in his favor.
Inanna decided to visit the Underworld to see her sister Eriskegal
whose husband, the God of Death, had recently abandoned her. Inanna
felt for her sister's loss, but did not look forward to the trip
because the sisters had never gotten along. She wisely informed
her most trusted servant that if she did not return within three
days, he should appeal to the highest deities to rescue her. | |
When Inanna arrived at the first
gate of the Underworld, the gatekeeper demanded her crown. At
each of the six gates she reached as she descended further into the
Underworld she was required to give up another piece of her attire.
At the seventh gate she stood
naked and vulnerable in front of her sister. Eriskegal was
furious that her sister had never visited her before and impulsively
killed Inanna on the spot, hanging her corpse on the wall behind her
throne.
When Inanna did not return, her servant appealed to Enki, who
fashioned two tiny creatures from the dirt beneath his
fingernails. He sent them into the Underworld carrying the
Food and Water of Life.
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The creatures soon came upon Eriskegal, who was deep in grief,
mourning the loss of her beloved husband. They were quick to
acknowledge her pain and to comfort her with kind words.
Eriskegal was so touched by their concern that she offered to give
them anything they wanted. They asked for the corpse on the wall and
soon they were feeding the lifeless Inanna the Food and Water of
Life. Revitalized, Inanna requested that she be allowed to
return to the world. Eriskegal consented, but only on the
condition that someone return to take Inanna’s place.
Inanna ascended through the seven gates,
collecting all of her possessions as she went. Her crown once
again upon her head, she returned home to find that in her
absence her beloved Dumuzi had usurped her throne. In a
fit of rage, she sent him to take her place in the land of the
dead.
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After cooling off a bit, Inanna decided perhaps she had been a
bit rash and went to get him back. Since she now realized
that Inanna’s visit had been to express compassion to her,
Eriskegal agreed to let Dumuzi return home—but for only half of
each year. Each year Inanna must descend again into the
Underworld to resurrect her consort and to renew her vitality.
Given new life by his consort, Dumuzi returned to earth
as the God of Vegetation. Fortunately he was allowed to
return to earth each spring in time to insure the fertility of
the land. | |
At each gate Inanna was required to shed a
piece of her identity—a possession that symbolized an important role
or relationship in her life, a part of her identity, the face she
showed to others. One of the important lessons of the goddess Inanna is that, if
we are to remain in touch with our true selves, we must divest
ourselves of our attachments to the "outer world" and travel inward.
The goddess Inanna represents the many
facets of being a woman and the myriad of roles they play. She is a
powerful example of a courageous mode of being that is unafraid to
face the changes that are required during the course of a woman’s
life. As one who courageously traveled into the dark places of
the soul, she can be our guide in times of tribulation.
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