Inanna is the goddess of love, sexuality and war in ancient Mesopotamia. She's equated with Ishtar and Hurrian Shaushka. A divine protector, Inanna can be kind and loving, strong-willed, seductive, vengeful or empathetic.
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Inanna enjoys the longest and most widespread worship of any Sumerian goddess. A supreme figure in cosmology of the ancient near East, she is revered in cities and regions including Uruk, Mari, Nineveh, Babylonia, Assyria, Akkad, Hittite Anatolia and Syria.
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Inanna bears the title Queen of Heaven and countless epithets of beauty, youth and power. Like her sister Underworld Goddess Ereshkigal and Hurrian Allani she's called ṣuhārtu or šiduri, meaning "young woman" in Akkadian.
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Worshiped in Sumer since c. 4000 BCE, she's patron of the Eanna temple in Uruk and of the town itself. It's said the people of Uruk, desiring her patronage, build her a beautiful house with priests, attendants, gardens and all luxuries. Inanna is pleased to move in.
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She brings gifts of knowledge to humanity and protects the common people. She is a goddess of women and embodies the female warrior aspect. As a divine administrator she helps the king receive tribute from other city-states.
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She's a goddess of many aspects, including love, war and fertility. She relates to beauty, sex, prostitution, political power and divine law. She's never seen as a mother goddess and no children, except possibly Nanaya, goddess of erotic love, prominent in her entourage.
Hittite King Hattusili III and Queen Puduhepa are devoted to her. In unwed life Puduhepa was a temple priestess for Shaushka, the Hurrian equivalent of Inanna, and Hattusili credits Inanna / Ishtar for saving his life when he was a sickly child.
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Her heavenly body is Venus, in Old English as morgensteorra (morning star) and æfensteorra (evening star). She connects to both morning and evening aspects of Venus. Scholars link some adventures of Inanna to the movements of Venus.
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For later Romans the morning star is Lucifer, light bearer, while the evening star is Hesperus. Inanna influences the Greek and Roman versions of the Goddess of Love Aphrodite / Venus, to whom the planet is sacred.
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Her myths are lively and complex. She's a "daddy's girl" who knows how to manipulate her father Enlil. She's a seductive siren whose love can drown a man. She personifies the ecstasy of sex. She is the hand of divine justice, and a force of warrior rage.
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Inanna has a distinct personality and shows empathy with mortals, but don't get her angry. More myths surround her than any other ancient deity. They include the journey of Inanna to the Underworld Kur, her resurrection three days later and the fate of her consort Dumuzi.
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Other myths include Inanna and the Huluppu Tree, in which Inanna plants a beautiful tree in her garden only to have it occupied by a serpent who would not be charmed, the young of the Anzu-bird, and the demonic "dark maid" Lilith. The tree may be the mahaleb cherry.
She's known for wheedling the Bull of Heaven from Enlil, to kill Gilgamesh for apparently spurning her advances. She also gets god Enki drunk. and runs off with the mes or tablets of destiny, which are in his keeping.
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Enki's sukkal Isimud is tasked with getting them back. The mes tablets, containing all that is relevant to humanity, represent the power of Uruk, city of Inanna, over Eridu, city of Enki. Finally, Enki has to admit Uruk is the seat of power.
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In this myth Enki may be depicted as Inanna's father. In some versions she flees in high drama with her sukkal Ninshubur helping her fend off the ravening monsters sent by Enki. She makes it back to Uruk in triumph. Enki forgives her, and wishes her well in her reign.
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In another myth Inanna is violated by a gardener while sleeping, and shakes heaven and earth with her murderous wrath as he hides in terror. Eventually she finds and slays him horribly.
Her parentage can vacillate. Sometimes her father is Anu, who also has a major temple in Uruk. Often her father is named as Nanna (Sin) the moon, with his wife Ningal as Inanna's mother. Son of the moon, Sun god Shamash, is her brother.
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Temples and ziggurats of Mesopotamia are held in high esteem. Common folk are not permitted in the ziggurats, which may contain one of more temples.
The only people allowed inside are priests, doctors and sacred scribes (often the same person). Musicians are permitted, to play soothing music to the gods. Even royalty may not enter, usually having a private family shrine.
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The people of ancient Uruk worship Inanna in three forms: morning Inanna (Inana-UD/hud), evening Inanna (Inanna sig), relating to the phases of her corresponding planet, Venus; and princely Inanna (Inanna NUN). She's often shown as a winged goddess.
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From c. 4000 - 3100 BCE a ring-headed doorpost is seen as a representation of Inanna. The symbol on her seal is a rosette. Among her icons are the rose and dove. The Star of Ishtar, an eight-point star, can represent or accompany the goddess in art.
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Doves adorn cultic objects of Inanna from third millennium BCE. At Aššur, dating to the thirteenth century BCE, lead dove figurines are found. A fresco from Syria shows a deific dove emerging from a palm tree in the Ishtar temple. The goddess might appear as a dove.
The eight-point star may be depicted as a sun with eight rays like an eye in the sky. It's similar to the star of Shamash, which has four pointed rays and four wavy ones. Eight is a number of spiritual power, infinity and success.
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The lion or lioness is a powerful symbol of Inanna. Lions relate to courage, protection, Fire, the Sun, dominance and wealth. As a goddess of sexuality, Inanna is also a patron of sex workers.
In the c. 2000 BCE Epic of Gilgamesh, she stands on the walls of Uruk cursing Gilgamesh, who imprudently slays the Bull of Heaven when she sends it to kill him. Inanna calls on all ''the crimped courtesans, prostitutes and harlots'' of the city to mourn with her over the Bull.
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Women in the ancient near East worship Inanna with unleavened loaves or cakes baked in ashes (kamān tumri).
“Oh Istar, merciful goddess, I have come to visit you. I have prepared for you an offering, pure milk, a pure cake baked in ashes (kamanu tumri), I stood up for you a vessel for libations, hear me and act favorably towards me.”
Akkadian hymn
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At Mari, Syria, several clay cake molds are found, shaped like naked women with large hips clutching their breasts. These are used to make temple offerings and may be a representation of the goddess.
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Until the conquest of Sargon the Great (c. 2334 - 2154 BCE), Inanna is a local goddess. After Sargon she becomes powerful in the known lands, with temples erected in her honor throughout Mesopotamia.
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Sargon's conquests result in unification. Any disparity between Ishtar and Inanna disappears and the goddesses are one. The Assyrians honor her as the highest-ranking deity in their pantheon, above their own national god Ashur.
In one of the famous myths of Inanna, she goes to the Underworld, Kur, to attend a funeral. Kur is ruled by her sister Ereshkigal, Goddess of Death. Ereshkigal tricks her into removing her garments and accessories of power, then kills Inanna and hangs her corpse on a hook.
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Fortunately for Inanna she anticipates the outcome and told her supporters to come plead for her if she fails to return after three days. They do so, and afflict Ereshkigal with a terrible stomach ache.
The Queen of the Underworld offers them gold and land but they say they want the body of Inanna. Finally Ereshkigal is in so much pain she agrees. Thus, lingering three days after her death in the Underworld, Inanna is resurrected and returns to the mortal realm.
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Galla demons of Kur pursue her, demanding a replacement. Once a person is dead it's highly irregular to get up and leave. To punish her consort Dumuzi, who frolics with dancing girls while she's hanging dead on a hook, Inanna gives him to the Gallu.
Later she regrets her impulsive decision. She forgives Dumuzi, but he must now go to the Underworld for six months of the year, while his sister Geshtinanna takes his place the other six months.
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The Cult of Inanna continues until the 5-6th century CE. The spread of Christianity causes a decline in worship of pagan deities. After over 4000 years, Inanna takes her leave. She lives now in the Realm of the Gods, forever young.
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