Goddess Myths

Inanna / Ishtar ( Short Version )

The goddess Inanna, called the Queen of Heaven in Ancient Sumer and the progenitor of the goddesses Venus and Aphrodite, tricked the God of Wisdom into giving her his special tools, including the valuable Tablets of Destiny, which gave her great powers.

Although Inanna was now very powerful, she also felt very lonely. But she soon had two suitors-one was a farmer named Enki (short for Enkidu) and the other was Dumuzi, a shepherd. Both gave her beautiful gifts, but Dumuzi's sumptuously soft woolens gave him a distinct edge.

Inanna was worried about her sister Eriskegal decided to visit the Underworld to see her. Eriskegal's husband, who was the God of Death had recently deserted her. Though the goddess Inanna felt concerned about her sister, she dreaded the trip. After all, the two sisters had never gotten along very well.

When Inanna arrived at each of the seven gates of the Underworld, the gatekeeper would demand that she leave one of her garments and required her to leave her jewels, and even her crown.

When she finally saw her sister, the goddess stood before her, naked and vulnerable. And Eriskegal was angry with her, feeling that Inanna had not been supportive of her. Why she hadn't even visited before now. So Eriskegal flew into a rage and killed her on the spot.

Inanna had been foresighted enough to advise her servant that if she did not come back, he should mount a rescue attempt. When she didn't appear, he appealed to Enki, her father, who sculpted two tiny creatures from the clay beneath his fingernails and sent them into the Underworld with the servant and carrying magical substances called the Food and Water of Life.

Upon their arrival in the Underworld, the servant asked for Inanna's body and the creatures fed the lifeless Inanna the Food and Water of Life, magically returning her to life. Inanna then requested that she be allowed to return to the world and her sister consented.

As Inanna passed through the seven gates during her ascent to the world, each of her possessions was returned to her. She returned home to resume her role as the Queen of Heaven with her crown once more upon her head.

As part of her agreement with her sister Inanna was required each year to descend once again into the Underworld in order to renew her own vitality and to restore the fertility of the earth.

One of the Lessons of the Goddess Inanna: Just as Inanna had to shed a part of her identity-something that symbolized an important role or relationship in her life, so must we. If we are to remain connected with our 'true' selves, our inner truth, we must divest ourselves of our attachments to the "outer world", the face we show to others, and instead, travel inward to find the meaning of our lives.