My name is Edaine and I found this Board through the website. I have been studying Lilith for a few years now and recently have began studying a little about Inanna/Ishtar. I hope to be able to learn more
Re: Hello
That is very interesting..could you please direct me towards that myth?
It has been my understanding by doing some research and study that Lilith may easily have been originaly Inanna/Ishtar while the Ancient Hebrews were slaves in Ur. The theory is that the Hebrews took the Great Mother Goddess and demonized Her in order to show their great dislike for their captors. The terra cotta relief of a Great Mother Goddess with Owl talons, wings, and holding snakes in her hands has been credited at both being Inanna and Lilith..all depending on which culture one wishes to focus on.
Quote:It has been my understanding by doing some research and study that Lilith may easily have been originaly Inanna/Ishtar while the Ancient Hebrews were slaves in Ur. The theory is that the Hebrews took the Great Mother Goddess and demonized Her in order to show their great dislike for their captors. The terra cotta relief of a Great Mother Goddess with Owl talons, wings, and holding snakes in her hands has been credited at both being Inanna and Lilith..all depending on which culture one wishes to focus on.
I thought the Hebrews were just a guy who had a revalation from a mountain/storm who got up and left Ur with his family to do their own thing. Kind of like Mormons. I have also heard conflicting explanation as to whether or not the "winged goddess" plaque is Inanna or Lilith. If it is Inanna, then it is Inanna in her "Battle goddess" role, as she is often portrayed as a nude winged woman, and is wearing the horned crown of divinity. It could also be Lillith given the fact that the Akkadians tended to portray gods as fully human, and demons as partially or fully animal. That and the lions could be construed as relating to demons or the Imdugud bird.
I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it. -Voltaire
Re: Hello
I’m not sure if it’s on line, but you can find it in most books on Sumerian mythology. It’s a Gilgamesh story. A dreaded Imdugud bird takes up residence in the branches of Inanna’s garden tree, A great snake takes up residence in the roots, and Lilith (a minor demon at this time) took up residence in the trunk. Inanna called out to Utu for help, but Gilgamesh is the one who actually helped her. He took his axe of the road and killed the serpent. He chased Lilith off (killing her in at least one version, other versions have her run off into the wilderness) The storm bird grabs her eggs and runs. Gilgamesh then makes a bed and a chair out of the tree. Inanna asks him to sleep with her. he says no and gains her animosity. There’s more to the story, but that should give you enough to find it.
You might note in the story a garden a snake and a tree. In the biblical version Lilith says gods true name in order to escape into the wilderness.
As for the origins of Ishtar you have it partly correct. Inanna came first. Then came Lilitu demons, then came Lilith as a particular demon. I think her name simply refers to the fact that she is a female Lilitu demon. She grew in power over time and her aspects merged with those of Inanna in Babylonian times. When you mentioned the Jews demonizing the great mother I should mention that Ninhursag wasn’t in the myth at all to my knowledge. The Jews did have a problem with Inanna though. They called her the whore of Babylon.
As for the sculpture you mentioned that is likely a sculpture of Ishtar, but you should note that Ishtar is not motherly in any way. Though many sexual acts have been done to her she is not noted for her children. Lilith alone is another matter, other cultures took her to be a baby stealer and a cum drinker (no joke, the word lullaby actually means Lilith be gone.) She was thought to be the mother of demons.
Re: Hello
Thank you for the refresher in the Gilgamesh myth...I read it long ago and had forgotten about that!
Sadly, I am all too aware that Lilith was demonized and all of the horrible things that have been said about Her. Honestly, She is none of those. She is a very strong Goddess that "suffers no fools" and has no problem putting a boot up a person's arse if they mess up royaly, but She also has a Motherly side to Her as well. The unforunate thing is, when a woman dares to tell the Judeo-Christian god to go take a hike She is demonized in the worst possible way. It's a shame really.
Also, I would like to thank you for the other information you gave as well. I am very new at learning this Path and I am enjoying the process of learning new things.
Re: Hello
Unfortunately I must disagree. She was not demonized. She was a demon. That disagreement is minor though. There is so much to the Sumerian pantheon that one slight disagreement is nothing.
If you have any other questions I would be glad to do some research for you. If you have any personal questions on ancient Sumer you can Email me at RyverSylt@yahoo.com. I’m also well read on many non Sumerian pagan matters if you are interested in finding anything on that subject.
Re: Hello
Thank you very much...that is so kind of you.
I am not sure what questions to ask...I am still slowly digesting the information found here....it can become rather mind boggeling. I have studied a bit on Paganism in general and some specifics but I must admitt that I feel that by studying this particular subject I have stepped out of my "comfort box" and into something exocticaly different and very interesting.
I believe I have stated somewhere here that it is Inanna pushing me in this direction. Silly question here: does the name Isht'anna (or something close to that) mean anything? It is a name that has been in my head for a couple of years now and I don't know why.
Re: Hello
Geshtinanna is Dumuzi’s sister. When Inanna sent Dumuzi into the underworld for not mourning her enough she decided to take his place half of the year. That’s where the Greeks get their myth of Persephone. Interestingly enough she was also the one who set the two up, and depending on the translation Inanna and Geshtinanna might have been lovers. When looking at the underworld she is the scribe to Ereshkigal in at least the translations I’m aware of.
If Inanna has been pushing you to look into her history then Geshtinanna would be an obvious choice. The myth I just gave you the cliffs notes version of is the Inanna decent to the underworld. She’s also in several Gilgamesh myths. Thorkild Jacobsen has a lot to say on Inanna in his book treasures of darkness.
Re: Hello
Thank you very much! I now have a direction in which to direct my studies... I think I really need to brush up on Gilgamesh and the Decent of Inanna...I have read both a couple of times but I think I need to really *pay attention to the details*.
Geshtinanna...that just might be it...and would make sense! Again, thank you.
Re: Hello
It was the most appropriate term I knew. The others didn’t quite seem to fit. I find I have at times accidentally become a religious leader for Sumerian Reconstructionism and Sumerian directed Eclectic Wicca seems to be a first step for many future Sumerians.
The problem as I see it is that the interested spiritualists tend to start looking in the wrong places. They ignore Ki (Ninki) the consort of Anu, and Ninhursag the goddess of growing and living things when looking for a motherly goddess in favor of the childless independent war goddess Inanna.
Instead of looking at the goddess Ningilin for magical assistance they call to Lilith who is less appropriate than just about any other goddess that I can think of. They see the god Suen and see a man in the position of moon god and don’t see his truly romantic side.
When looking for a calm grandfather nature deity they pick Enki. Enki was calm some of the time, he had children, and he was the god of fertility. He also was amorous, he had strong associations to the underworld, and his association with nature was more in tune with the taming of nature rather than letting it go wild. (The Sumerians weren’t all that into wilderness.)
The pantheon has quite a light side to go along with its dark side, but the dark side is what becomes readily apparent when you explore the exploits of Enki, Inanna, and Lilith.
I have also heard conflicting explanation as to whether or not the "winged goddess" plaque is Inanna or Lilith. If it is Inanna, then it is Inanna in her "Battle goddess" role, as she is often portrayed as a nude winged woman, and is wearing the horned crown of divinity. It could also be Lillith given the fact that the Akkadians tended to portray gods as fully human, and demons as partially or fully animal. That and the lions could be construed as relating to demons or the Imdugud bird.
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