Ishtar, also known as Inanna, is the Babylonian goddess of love and fertility along with death , disaster, fire, fire-quenching, rejoicing, victory, tears, war fair play, enmity and many others
Description[]
She was the deity of fertility and love, but also a jealous goddess who could bring vengeance against individuals, go to war, destroy fields, and make the earth's creatures infertile. Ever young, energetic, and passionate, Ishtar was moody, changing rapidly from love to enmity. She protected her favorites, but brought doom upon those who dishonored her, sometimes with terrible consequences for whole nations.
Her counterparts are the Sumerian goddess Inanna along with Astarte, Freya, Anat, Aphrodite, Isis, Venus and many others. She is the personification of the planet Venus. Her father is uncertain, sometimes claimed to be the daughter of Suen, the moon god, or Anu, the sky god. She is Anu's second consort, a daughter of Anu and Antum (Sometimes daughter of Sin). Ishtar's sister is Ereshkigal, the goddess of the realm of the Irkalla.
She is also known as the "Lady of Battles" because she is known as a very violent deity. She is the creator and guardian of life. She is also known as a Mother Goddess. In later myth she was known as Queen of the Universe, taking on the powers of Anu, Enlil, and Enki. Her symbol is the eight-pointed star, and her holy city is Uruk, ruled by King Gilgamesh. Uruk is a town of sacred courtesans part of her cult was devoted to prostitution. Her other symbols are the hook-shaped knot of reeds, lions, rosette, doves and the star Sirius.
History[]
Epic of Gilgamesh[]
The myth of "Inanna and the Huluppu Tree" centers around young Ishtar, not yet stable in her power. It begins with a huluppu tree, which is identified as possibly a willow, growing on the banks of the river Euphrates. Ishtar moves the tree to her garden in Uruk with the intention to carve it into a throne once it is fully grown. The tree grows and matures, but the serpent "who knows no charm", the Anzû-bird, and Lilitu, seen by some as the Sumerian forerunner to the Lilith of Jewish folklore, all take up residence within the tree, causing Ishtar to cry with sorrow.
The hero Gilgamesh, who, in this story, is portrayed as her brother, comes along and slays the serpent, causing the Anzû-bird and Lilitu to flee. Gilgamesh's companions chop down the tree and carve its wood into a bed and a throne, which they give to Inanna, who fashions a pikku and a mikku (probably a drum and drumsticks respectively, although the exact identifications are uncertain), which she gives to Gilgamesh as a reward for his heroism.
Taking the Mes[]
Ishtar travels from her own city of Uruk to Enki's city of Eridu, where she visits his temple, the E-Abzu. Ishtar is greeted by Enki's sukkal, Isimud, who offers her food and drink. Ishtar starts up a drinking competition with Enki. Then, once Enki is thoroughly intoxicated, Ishtar persuades him to give her the mes. Ishtar flees from Eridu in the Boat of Heaven, taking the mes back with her to Uruk.
Enki wakes up to discover that the mes are gone and asks Isimud what has happened to them. Isimud replies that Enki has given all of them to Ishtar. Enki becomes infuriated and sends multiple sets of fierce monsters after Inanna to take back the mes before she reaches the city of Uruk. Ishtar's sukkal Ninshubur fends off all of the monsters that Enki sends after them. Through Ninshubur's aid, Inanna successfully manages to take the mes back with her to the city of Uruk. After Ishtar escapes, Enki reconciles with her and bids her a positive farewell.
Descent into the Underworld[]
Before leaving, Ishtar instructs her minister and servant Ninshubur to plead with the deities Enlil, Nanna, An, and Enki to rescue her if she does not return after three days. The laws of the underworld dictate that, with the exception of appointed messengers, those who enter it may never leave. Ishtar dresses elaborately for the visit; she wears a turban, wig, lapis lazuli necklace, beads upon her breast, the 'pala dress' (the ladyship garment), mascara, a pectoral, and golden ring, and holds a lapis lazuli measuring rod. Each garment is a representation of a powerful me she possesses.
Ishtar pounds on the gates of the underworld, demanding to be let in. The gatekeeper Neti asks her why she has come and Inanna replies that she wishes to attend the funeral rites of Gugalanna, the "husband of my elder sister Ereshkigal". Neti reports this to Ereshkigal, who tells him: "Bolt the seven gates of the underworld. Then, one by one, open each gate a crack. Let Inanna enter. As she enters, remove her royal garments." Perhaps Ishtar's garments, unsuitable for a funeral, along with Ishtar's haughty behavior, make Ereshkigal suspicious. Following Ereshkigal's instructions, Neti tells Ishtar she may enter the first gate of the underworld, but she must hand over her lapis lazuli measuring rod. She asks why, and is told, "It is just the ways of the underworld." She obliges and passes through. Inanna passes through a total of seven gates, at each one removing a piece of clothing or jewelry she had been wearing at the start of her journey, thus stripping her of her power. When she arrives in front of her sister, she is naked.
As Ishtar arrives as the throne of Ereshkigal, completely nude, cold, and almost dead, she complains. But Ereshkigal silences her: she must perform the underworld rites as followed. Ishtar then usurps Ereshkigal's position on the throne, and sits in her place. The Ananaki (seven demon-gods of the underworld), as punishment for this deed, sentence Ishtar to death. Ereshkigal cursed her sister, and Ishtar died. With Ishtar dead, the earth withered and would not produce, and neither animals nor human beings would bear young. Her corpse is hung on a hook.
Appeasing the Underworld Goddess[]
Three days and three nights pass, and Ninshubur, following instructions, goes to the temples of Enlil, Nanna, An, and Enki, and pleads with each of them to rescue Ishtar. The first three deities refuse, saying Ishtar's fate is her own fault, but Enki is deeply troubled and agrees to help. He creates two sexless figures named gala-tura and the kur-jara from the dirt under the fingernails of two of his fingers. He instructs them to appease Ereshkigal and, when she asks them what they want, ask for the corpse of Ishtar, which they must sprinkle with the food and water of life.
When they come before Ereshkigal, she is in agony like a woman giving birth. She offers them whatever they want, including life-giving rivers of water and fields of grain, if they can relieve her, but they refuse all of her offers and ask only for Inanna's corpse. The gala-tura and the kur-jara sprinkle Inanna's corpse with the food and water of life and revive her. Galla demons sent by Ereshkigal follow Ishtar out of the underworld, insisting that someone else must be taken to the underworld as Ishtar's replacement. They first come upon Ninshubur and attempt to take her, but Ishtar stops them, insisting that Ninshubur is her loyal servant and that she had rightfully mourned for her while she was in the underworld. They next come upon Shara, Ishtar's beautician, who is still in mourning. The demons attempt to take him, but Ishtar insists that they may not, because he had also mourned for her. The third person they come upon is Lulal, who is also in mourning. The demons try to take him, but Inanna stops them once again.