Inannas 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. Pdf inannas descent to the underworld by johanna stuckey. The following is the babylonian mythos of ishtars descent into the underworld. The story of the descent into the underworld goes a bit like this, although there a a few different yet similar versions. Text from inanna, queen of heaven and earth by diane wolkstein soundtrack by patreon. Inannas descent to the netherworld when the fifth entered the sheepfold and cowpen, the churns lay on their side, no milk was poured, the drinking cups lay on their side, dumuzid was dead, the sheepfold was haunted. Inannaishtars 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. Father nanna nannar sin, dont let anyone kill your daughter in the underworld. Myths of ereshkigal are found in the remnants of various mesopotamian tablets and texts, including the epic of gilgamesh. And so inanna rose again, but before she could return to heaven and earth, according to the universal laws, a substitute. Al azif download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. They pieced together worn and broken clay tablets found in the longburied libraries of babylon and nippur, some dating from about 1750 b. Inanna provides a manyfaceted image of the feminine. Pdf an exegesis of inanna and ishtars descent to the.
The descent of inanna to the underworld by deanne quarrie. The first reading shall be socially focused, whereby the text will. Finally enki, the god of waters and wisdom, hears ninshuburs plea and rescues inanna, using two little mourners he creates from the dirt under his. It identifies some of the functions that may be fulfilled in our. 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. Dont let your precious metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld. Inanna girds herself with clothes and artifacts before her descent, making her powerful. Pdf the primary focus of this paper shall be on the representations of the. 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. This is the story of inanna, the ancient myth that predates the male gods, such as zeus. From the great above she opened her ear to the great below.
Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld. The god of wisdom hatched the plan to free inanna and created from dirt. Her husband tammuz, the great love of her youth, had died when he was still very young. The ball and mallet had been taken by inannas former lover gilgamesh and fallen deep into the underworld. On the day geshtinanna is called, that day you will be set free. Her name translates as queen of the great below or lady of the great place. Thus begins one of the most famous sumerian myths of all time, with one of the most famous introductory passages of all time. Ninshubur succeeds in getting enki to secure her release.
Ninshubur goes to enlil, the highest god of sky and earth, and to nanna, the moon god and inannas father. Inannas descent to the nether world and ishtars descent to the nether world shall undergo four readings. She had fallen in love with gilgamesh, that great king, but he had spurned her advances. My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. And now, from deep within the inner sanctum, in ningals holy of holies, there came to inannas attentive ears the sounds of great exertion. For anyone looking to experience the transformation that the dark has to offer, and to play with the awesome power of surrender, this book is a must have. This story, which was originally written in cuneiform and inscribed on clay tablets, is in the form of a poem. As dina katz describes, the underworld is a place where all spirits dwelled in one and.
Inannas descent to the nether world mesopotamian gods. Inannas descent to the underworld by johanna stuckey. The poem begins famously with the lines, from the great above she opened her ear to the. This open access is brought to you for free and open access by stars. Ereshkigal also known as irkalla and allatu is the mesopotamian queen of the dead who rules the underworld. This is when the goddess ruled the heavens, the earth and the underworld. This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by topscholar. Inanna is no one else but the sumerian counterpart of venus. The unique book of the entrance has no counterpart in occult literature, and the drawings of magical seals and symbols are wholly new to anything that has yet appeared on the contemporary occult scene although bearing some resemblances to. Both inannas descent and gilgamesh, enkidu and the netherworld show that the. Inanna s body was given to the kurgarra and the galatur, who sprinkled it with food and water of life inanna came back to life but she had been to the underworld. Inanna, no one ascends from the underworld unmarked.
It is not as full a version of the story as the sumerian version inannas descent. To kurnugi, land of no return, ishtar daughter of sin was determined to go. 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. Fosters analysis of late akkadian literature provides a window onto the. From the great above inanna openend her ear to the great below. From the great above inanna opened her ear to the great below. My lady abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld. 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 queen of the underworld can be thought of as the neglected side of inanna, that part of inanna that was unloving, unloved, abandoned, instinctual, and full of rage. Inanna is married to dumuzi, but also has the goddess ninshubur as her consort clothes make the superman.
Venus, the descentascent of inanna and the 7 gates. In order to enter the underworld she must prepare herself, purify herself, by giving up one piece of her clothing or. A guided meditation following inanna as she journeys into the underworld and returns again. Instead the dreadful vista of life in the underworld. From the great above the goddess oepned her ear to the great below. Doc inannas descent to the underworld deanne quarrie. This book was instrumental in developing my understanding of ereshkigal, and for preparing for inannas descent into the underworld to meet her sister. Inannas relational heroines journey in the descent of inanna offers an alternative to the separation between earth and its inhabitants, as it does not focus on the broken relationship between them. An archetype of feminine selfdiscovery and transformation. From the great above the goddess opened her ear to the great below. Inanna was about to ascend from the underworld when the annuna, the judges of the underworld, seized her. Goddess inanna journeys into the underworld of death and suffering. Her main following in sumer and babylon was complete with temples dedicated to her throughout the region, the main site found in kutha.
In a myth called the descent of ishtar to the underworld, the fertility goddess decides to visit kurnugia the land of no return, where the dead live in darkness, eat clay, and are clothed like birds with wings. Descent of inanna wolkstein kramer from the great above she opened her ear to the great below. Rather, the foundation of the myth is their ubiquitous relationship that cannot cease because it. The word great should be understood as vast, not exceptional and referred to the land of the dead which was thought to lie beneath the mountains of sunset to the west and was known as kurnugia the. She passes through seven infernal gates, and at each one, part of her clothing is taken from her. The descent of inanna myth is the story of the prideful inannas journey to the underworld to ostensibly pay homage to her sister, ereshkigal, queen of the kur underworld.
Interpretation of inannas descent myth halexandria. From the great heaven inana set her mind on the great below. There are many myths about the descent of the goddess. The new novel i am working on is a retelling of the inanna myth. The descent of inanna from the great above she opened her ear to the great below. Ishtars journey into the underworld fairy tales of the. Inanna and her descent into the land of no return, to meet erishkigal, the goddess of death and queen of the underworld. The story of inannas descent to the underworld a winter solstice tale. To go just one more step, a very popular interpretation of the text is through a jungian lens. The goal of gaining wisdom of the underworld, to complement the wisdom of the heavens and of the earth, speaks of inanna becoming complete, but this interpretation views it, instead of her completing her body of knowledge, she is completing herself. Most of the powers once held by her, the embodied, playful, passionately erotic feminine. Inannas descent to the netherworld literature tv tropes.
From the great heaven the goddess set her mind on the great below. When she reaches the throne room, she is naked and therefore powerless, and she is carried. Healing with myth this essay analyses the use of ancient myths in modernday western therapy. Neither enlil nor inannas father nannar, the moon god of ur, will help her because she has craved the below, and because those who choose the underworld do not return. Ereshkigal, great goddess of the underworld, was worshiped throughout the mesopotamian region, dating back to 3000 bce. She is a goddess of order, fertility, grains, love, war, heaven and earth, healing, and emotion.
Inasmuch as inannas light, glory, and movement had been, to some extent, achieved at ereshkigals expense, the queen on the underworld is enraged at inannas appearance. The poem is related to an earlier sumerian poem that tells of the descent of inana to the netherworld in a much more elaborate account of the descent and resurrection, and the akkadian version of the story omits much of the detail that appears in the sumerian work. Inannaishtars descent into the underworld posted on sep 9 2011 the descent of inannaishtar is similar to the descent of ganga into the underworld. The descent of ishtar to the underworld mesopotamian. Both refuse to meddle in the exacting ways of the underworld. Inanna abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. But perhaps the most significant venus retrograde myth is the sumerian myth of inannas descent into the underworld. Pdf an exegesis of inanna and ishtars descent to the nether world. Then, because of her journey to the underworld, she took on the powers and mysteries of. The descent of inanna known also as inannas descent to the netherworld underworld is a piece of work in the literary corpus of ancient.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Lxrian descent of ishtar inannas counterpart is a much shorter uersion of the same. Ishtar was the lady of the gods, the goddess of fertility. This story isnt about gilgamesh however, it instead follows. Other articles where the descent of ishtar to the underworld is discussed. The perfumed bath, or long luxurious shower, is a purification from the stresses of the day. A sumerian hero story during the times of gilgamesh that explores the descent into, and ascent from hell. Ereshkigal gave them inannas body, and they fed the goddess the food and water of life.
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