This is the story of inanna, the ancient myth that predates the male gods, such as zeus. Diane wolkstein has been teaching, performing, and writing for over thirtyfive years. She was originally worshiped in sumer and was later worshipped by the akkadians, babylonians, and assyrians under the name ishtar. This open access is brought to you for free and open access by stars. Inanna was a goddess of love, fertility, wisdom, and war. Sep 18, 2018 but perhaps the most significant venus retrograde myth is the sumerian myth of inannas descent into the underworld. Interpretation of inannas descent myth halexandria. The poem inanna takes command of heaven is an extremely fragmentary, hhluppu important, account of inannas conquest of the eanna temple in uruk. Womens role in inanna essay sample free college essay. From the great above inanna openend her ear to the great below. I am indebted to all four of these sources as well as many others, especially doris lessing for her briefing for a descent into hell and her. She is believed to have been the queen of the underworld and a very powerful deity. Venus overtone leo when venus rises as morning star, beginning a new cycle, the sign she rises in is the overtone for the full 584 day cycle.
The courtship of inanna and dumuzi mesopotamian gods. The book is illustrated with many pictures, mostly taken from the carvings on cylinder seals. She was later worshipped by the akkadians, babylonians, and assyrians under the name ishtar. Inanna s descent into the underworld was the inspiration for the descent of the goddess, one of the most popular and most important myths in gardnerian wicca. The descent of inanna a sumerian hero story during the times of gilgamesh that explores the descent into, and ascent from hell. This is when the goddess ruled the heavens, the earth and the underworld. In sumerian, the word for ear and wisdom are the same. Although the descent of inanna is a short work it runs to little over 400 lines, making it a little shorter than a poem like the waste land, it contains many of the elements we associate with epic poetry such as the descent into the. For example, enki, the god of wisdom, is said to have his ear wide open an unfiltered receptivity. She tells her servant ninshubar to go to the temples to weep before the fathers if she did not return from the underworld in three days. The sumerian story of inannas descent was pieced together from more than thirty tablets and fragments found in the ruins of nippur in. It was generally understood by astrologers that venus would be in the underworld only when retrograde. An archetype of feminine selfdiscovery and transformation.
Inanna loweralpha 1 is an ancient mesopotamian goddess associated with sex, war, justice, and political power. A clearer understanding of the descent of inanna is available to any reader acquainted with the sumerian work the epic of gilgamesh c. While ishtar is there, all sexual activity on earth. The descent of inannathe story below is an abridged version of the descent myth of inannasummarized by amy peck. Legend of the decent of inanna inannas most important myth begins with the great goddess opening her ear to the great below. The index at the end of the book is very helpful in locating specific passages.
The descent of inanna essay example bla bla writing. She abandons her temples in the seven cities of her worship, abandons, in fact, all of the glories of heaven and earth, and prepares to make the journey from which no traveler returns. This story, which was originally written in cuneiform and inscribed on clay tablets, is in the form of a poem. It identifies some of the functions that may be fulfilled in our. From the great heaven inana set her mind on the great below. It was enki who helped resuscitate inanna from death and was instrumental in her rebirth. The descent of inanna the earliest text of the poem now known as the descent of inanna was archaeologically and linguistically reconstructed in the twentieth century by sumerian scholars. The descent of inanna known also as inannas descent to the netherworld underworld is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient. Meeting the shadow of oneself inanna queen of heaven. Inanna was the ancient sumerian goddess of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, war, combat, justice, and political power.
Jan 02, 2017 the descent of inanna known also as inannas descent to the netherworld underworld is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient mesopotamia. Venus, the descentascent of inanna and the 7 gates. She is the author of numerous awardwinning books of folklore, including the magic orange tree, and other haitian folktales and inanna, queen of heaven and earth. Gatekeeper, why have you taken away the great crown the symbol of royal divinity on my head. It is believed by many scholars to have most probably derived from cumulative judaic and eastern myths and folklore. In the timeless tradition of bards and rishis, i would like to tell the legend of inanna, queen of heaven and earth. Inanna traveled to enkis city eridu, and by getting him drunk, she got him to give her hundredsthe exact number is unknown, because the text breaks offof. Known for her meticulous research as well as her great range as a performer, ms. This story isnt about gilgamesh however, it instead follows. The descent of inanna from the great above she opened her ear to the great below. From the great above the goddess opened her ear to the great below.
Her morning and evening phase where indicators of agricultural productivity. With the longawaited publication of this book, we have for the first time in any modern literary form one of the most vital and important of ancient myths. On the day geshtinanna is called, that day you will be set free. A fresh retelling of the ancient texts about ishtar, the worlds first goddess. She was allpowerful, free to roam the vast regions of heaven and earth, and when she received the gift of the divine laws of the universe, she thought nothing could stop her. Apr 27, 2015 performed on october 25, 2014, rebirth of the devadasi, medicine dance, an evening of sacred dance and music in the casbah, at jackson wellsprings, ashland oregon. The story which has come down to us from sumeria has been dated to around 4000 b. Inanna is no one else but the sumerian counterpart of venus. Inanna was the goddess of fertility and abundance and the most important deity of the times. Healing with myth this essay analyses the use of ancient myths in modernday western therapy. Indented and italicized text is excerpted from the original poem, translated by diane wolkstein and samuel noah kramers book, inanna queen of heaven and.
Womens role in inanna it is fascinating how the world has changed from the beginning of the ages until what we call modern time. Ishtar was a babylonian copy of the sumerian goddess inanna who was frequently depicted standing on the backs of two lionessesanother important symbol. Two major theories regarding her origins have been proposed. For the high goddess inanna, proud and passionate and active, submissive sacrifice, humility, and passive mirroring are the compensatory ways to set her free.
She abandons her temples in the seven cities of her worship, abandons, in fact, all of the glories of heaven and earth, and prepares. Venus, the descentascent of inanna and the 7 gates cosmic. Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld. Pdf an exegesis of inanna and ishtars descent to the nether world. The descent of inanna by shani oates the true origins of the infamous dance of the seven veils supposedly danced by salome for the head of john the baptist is indeed a mystery. Inanna has posed a problem for many scholars of ancient sumer due to the fact that her sphere of power contained more distinct and contradictory aspects than that of any other deity. That descent is a requirement of sovereignty, by which i mean the owning of ones own self and life. Food was the most important thing for our ancestors, food basically meant life. The descent of inanna is familiar to the many contemporary men and women who have undertaken to journey into their own underworlds and have lived to tell the tale. Long ago in ancient sumeria, inanna was worshipped as the goddess of love and war. The descent of inanna known also as inanna s descent to the netherworld underworld is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient mesopotamia. Descent into the underworld inanna lilith the great goddess. Her stories and hymns from sumer, book collection opensource language english.
Oct 15, 2010 inanna is the ancient sumerian goddess of love, sensuality, fertility, procreation, and also of war. The descent of inanna from the great above to the great below inanna prepares for her descent to the underworld and takes the seven me with her. The sumerian descent of inanna 1 relates, in a poetic narrative form, events and situations of the divine \vorldit is, in the common understanding of the word, a myth. Ishtars descent into the underworld full text youtube. The situation each human often finds hisherself in is often a response to ones social status or in many cases their gender. Inanna s descent into the underworld was the inspiration for the descent of the goddess, 296 297 one of the most popular and most important myths in gardnerian wicca. Librivox free audiobook confessions of a gas station attendent engl 302h. The story of inanna s descent to the underworld is one of the great legends from ancient times. The god of wisdom hatched the plan to free inanna and created from dirt. Traditional, diane wolkstein and samuel noah kramer, traditional and diane wolkstein and samuel noah kramer, traditional, diane wolkstein, samuel noah kramer, kramer, wolkstein, inanna, inanna. Otto lehto the seven veils of ishtar and the ten sefirot. Inanna speaks to deceased spouse dumuzi in the under world. Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the.
The descent of inanna from the great above to the great. My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. Womens role in inanna essay sample free college essay examples. This story isnt about gilgamesh however, it instead follows inanna. Inannas descent to the underworld by johanna stuckey 20150802, 3. Descent of inanna inanna and the mes according to one. The descent of inanna known also as inannas descent to the netherworld underworld is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient mesopotamia. The descent of inanna the story below is an abridged version of the descent myth of inanna summarized by amy peck. They improvised the story of the descent of inanna, and then. There are many myths about the descent of the goddess. Inanna and her descent into the land of no return, to meet erishkigal, the goddess of death and queen of the underworld. Apr 18, 2004 long ago in ancient sumeria, inanna was worshipped as the goddess of love and war.
Inanna goes to the underworld because ereshkigals husband died and she had gone to witness the funeral rites. Performed on october 25, 2014, rebirth of the devadasi, medicine dance, an evening of sacred dance and music in the casbah, at jackson wellsprings, ashland oregon. My lady abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld. Whilst studying the venus cycle, i was always perplexed as to the story of inannas descent into the underworld and her journey there through the 7 gates and how it related to the cycle of venus. Kuhner for the university unitarian chapter of cuups samhain 1995 roles. In the myths about her, she is sometimes a conqueror, sometimes a helper of mankind, occasionally a lover, and once or twice she plays a fool. First question and answer reading through the various versions of the descent of inanna made me realize some aspects of the selfrenewal part by rebirth. From the great heaven the goddess set her mind on the great below. One day, inanna suddenly heard the sound of her sisters moans.
They pieced together worn and broken clay tablets found in the longburied libraries of babylon and nippur, some dating from about 1750 b. She later became identified by the akkadians and assyrians as the goddess ishtar, and further with the hittite sauska, the phoenician astarte and the greek aphrodite, among many others. Inanna ishtars most famous myth is the story of her descent into and return from kur, the ancient sumerian underworld, a myth in which she attempts to conquer the domain of her older sister ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld, but is instead deemed guilty of hubris by the seven judges of the underworld and struck dead. From the great above inanna opened her ear to the great below. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Inanna, ereshkigal, gatekeeper, messenger black guide, red guide, white guide black guardian, red guardian, white guardian storytellers one or. The mes maes represented everything from truth to weaving to prostitution. First question and answer reading through the various versions of the descent of inanna made me realize some aspects of the selfrenewal part by rebirth was so much like the universal theme of christian rebirth.
In psychospiritual terms, ereshkigal and inanna are completing the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. From the great above the goddess oepned her ear to the great below. Descent of inanna wolkstein kramer from the great above she opened her ear to the great below. The first explanation holds that inanna is the result of a syncretism between several previously unrelated sumerian deities with totally different domains. She was known as the queen of heaven and was the patron goddess of the eanna temple at the city of uruk, which was her main cult center. In the first line of the descent of inanna, from the great. Pdf inannas descent to the underworld by johanna stuckey. A sumerian hero story during the times of gilgamesh that explores the descent into, and ascent from hell. This may be seen in the myth known as inannas descent to the underworld, where ereshkigal emerges triumphant after a confrontation with her younger sister, inanna, who was a formidable goddess in her own right. Interpretation of inannas descent myth from the great above inanna opened her ear to the great below. Elsewhere in mesopotamian myth, a goddess who created alone without the assistance of a male partner gave birth only to aberrations. Inanna and the mes according to one story, inanna tricked the god of culture, enki, who was worshipped in the city of eridu, into giving her the mes.
The perfumed bath, or long luxurious shower, is a purification from the stresses of the day. Over my years of performing, my preparations have become something of a ritual, a path by which i ready myself for the experience of the dance. Goddess inanna journeys into the underworld of death and suffering. Inanna queen of heaven and earth by samuel noah kramer and. May 05, 2018 ereshkigal is a chthonic goddess that is found in the mythology of ancient mesopotamia. Descent of inanna inanna and the mes according to one story. As daughter of the moon and sister of the sun, inanna is the morning and evening star, venusaphrodite, in the sumerian pantheon.
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