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Inanna,
Ancient Goddess of Sumer
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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. |
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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. |
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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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