Powerful Goddess Inanna plays a catalytic role in the Early Bronze Age Epic of Gilgamesh by sending the Bull of Heaven or Heavenly Bull to slay him. First appearing in the early tales of Gilgamesh, the Bull can kill a hundred men with a blast of breath from his nostrils.
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Although regarded as an overall benevolent goddess, Inanna has her moments. She's the goddess of love, fertility and sexuality but also war. She holds deific power for over four thousand years, and influences countless later goddesses such as Aphrodite and Venus.
Inanna is patron Goddess of Uruk, over which Gilgamesh rules c. 2900 BCE. There are a few versions of the story. It's originally written in Sumerian; the best preserved is in later Akkadian. Inanna is angry because, according to the tale, she is spurned by Gilgamesh.
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She gets the Heavenly Bull from her father, Sky Lord Anu, by threatening to raise the dead and eat the living, or let out a mighty scream to reach the earth. Either way her war persona prevails and her rage is absolute.
Anu knows better, but gives her the Bull of Heaven anyway. Inanna sends the great animal to kill Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu slay the Bull instead.
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Enkidu throws the Bull's hind thigh at Inanna to humiliate her. The Gods are horrified at the murder of their sacred animal and condemn Enkidu to death as he's the one who struck the killing blow.
In some versions Enkidu is killed outright, and in others he develops a wasting sickness. After the anguish of watching his friend die, Gilgamesh is afraid he'll be next. He embarks on a quest for immortality. As for Inanna, she loses interest. She has many potential lovers.
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The Bull Taurus is among the heavenly constellations known to Mesopotamia, especially in later Akkad. It's thought the writer(s) of the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh added the scene of Enkidu throwing the haunch at Inanna to explain the star bull's missing back end.
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