Inanna and Ebih is the first poem of Enheduanna, the first writer in Western literature, High Priestess of Ur and daughter of the military genius who unified for the first time Mesopotamia as an empire, Sargon, the Akkadian.
To interpret this myth, I will be using the translated version which is included in Gateways in the section "The Enheduanna Files", as well as will refer to the work of Betty De Shong Meador, "Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart - poems of the High Priestess Enheduanna", just published last year. Interpretation of the myth nevertheless will be my own. I tend to disagree strongly with some of the views put across by De Shong Meador on this myth because of her allusions to later Judeo-Christian developments. Instead, I will favour the analysis by Professor Rivkah Harris focusing on the struggle of young and old gods for self-determination referred to elsewhere here in our board, in the thread on the Enuma Elish.
Basically, this myth covers a young woman´s/goddess´ struggle for self-determination and outer authority to assert HerSelf face the unknown, who does not acknowledge Her. Historically, it may be seen as the rise of the young goddess of the dynasty of Akkad to the forefront of the pantheon, the vibrant, courageous, unstoppable power of a new vision of unity for the land, embodied in the values of Sargon. Sargon did conquered and unified south and central Mesopotamia by the sword, but kept it united for three generations at least by sound adminstrative techniques and by weaving ancient religious ideas into the fabric of his vision for the land very much represented by the rise of Inanna, the Love and War Goddess, as the foremost goddess in the pantheon. Enheduanna, a gifted scribe and poetess, used her craft to help her father´s dominion by writing the collection of Sumerian Temple Hymns, where the oldest religious shrines of the land were named and praised as part of a major whole.
It is my belief that Inanna and Ebih represents very much the impetus of Sargon to rule over the land of Sumer and Akkad. However, the importance of Inanna was already on the rise, because the epic cycle of the heroic tales of Uruk, pre-Sargonid, also focused on heroes who were entitled priests (en or lords) of Uruk and who ruled by the love of Inanna. See in Essays here in Gateways an article by Professor Joan Goodnick Westenholz on the subject, or King by the Love of Inanna. In Inanna and Ebih, it is the goddess as the Warrior who comes to the forefront though.
As always, insights and comments most welcome!
best,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Inanna and Ebih and Astral correlations
This composition may reflect the political events in the later part of Sargon´s reign, although an astral interpretation which would account for the temporary disappearance of Venus "behind the mountain" has also been proposed to justify the storyline.
Joseph Campbell, the great mythographer, argues that at circa 3,500 BCE South Mesopotamian temple areas had increased in size and importance, and then, around 3,200 the Sumerians appeared to imprint the land with their expertise and knowledge. The consciousness of the order of the universe was also based on the temple priest, and he argues that this had to do with their discovery/understanding of the established courses of the visible planets, together with the notion that they were governed by the same laws that governed life and thought of humanity. It was at this moment in human destiny that the art of writing first appeared in the world and that scrptiorally documented history therefore begins. Also, the wheel appeared. We have evidence of the development of the two numerical systems still normally employed thoughout the civilized world, the decimal and the sexagesimal, the former was used mostly for business accounts and the latter for the ritualistic measuring of space and time as well.
I need to get more data on the astral origins of Sumerian religion. Astrologers in the board, I would love to hear from you!!!
*red faced: Astrology has never been my strong point...
bye for now,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Inanna and Ebih and Astral correlations
Rotation on its axis: 243 days
Orbital or siderea period: 225 days
Synodic period: 584 days
Nasa Missions: Mariner, Pioneer and Magellan
While Venus is called the sister planet of the Earth, due to their relative proximity, the differences between both planets are dramatic. Venus has no Moon, very high surface temperatures and no water in its atmosphere, which contains up to 95% of carbon dioxide.
It takes Venus approximately 225 days to orbit the Sun but the longer time of 584 days to go from superior to superior conjunction with the Sun (from a geoçentric framework ). Superior conjunction wjth the Sua occurs when Venus is farthest írom the Earth and the Sun lies directly between the Earth and Venus. !nferior conjunction occurs w..en Venus is closest to the Earth and lies direct!y between the Earth and the Sun. Although each conjunction occurs at different zodiaca! positions, it takes five synod;c periods or eight years, for the Sun-Venus conjunction to retum to approximately the same zodiacal sign and degree. This caused the Mesopotamians to liken Venus' journey through the sky to a five-poinred star, or pentagram.
Retrogradation - the process by which Venus (or any planet) appears to slow up and move backwards as seen from the Earth - occurs for a period oí 41-42 days with inferior conjunction to the Sun occurring midway through the cycle.
After inferior conjunction, Venus emerges as the Morning Star in the East until it reaches superior conjunction when the planet's view is obliterated by the Sun for up to 2 months, depending on the particular season. After superior conjunction, Venus then emerges as the Evening Star in the West and its journey rowards retrogradation and inferior conjunction once again. Venus' last setting before and first appearance as Morning or Evening Star after conjunction are known as the planet's heliacal settings and risings. While tM Babylonians noted that periods íollowing heliacal risisngs were marked by periods of hostility and abundant harvests, Mesoamericans also noted that political upheavels occured during these times.
(from the book by Ronnie Gale Dreyer mentioned abiove)
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Temple of Inanna Rediscovered!!!!
Message forwarded to my by John, one of our own ! Enjoy!
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi archaeologists in a new find have uncovered a temple dedicated to the goddess Ishtar at the ancient city of Babylon, 56 miles south of Baghdad, the weekly Tikrit newspaper reported Sunday.
"Cuneiform inscriptions on the 25 artifacts found at the temple temple indicate that the building dates back to the old Babylonian era, and to the reign of King Hammurabi (ca. 1790-1750 BCE) in particular," Tikrit quoted a source at the Antiquities and Heritage Department as saying.
Ishtar was the goddess of love in Babylonia and Assyria. Under
names, the cult of the mother goddess was universal in the ancient Near East.
Tikrit reported that excavation teams had also discovered a house with an open courtyard, a number of rooms and graves inside the house in the temple area. "Artifacts included a relief on a clay tablet of a woman breast-feeding her child, the first ever to be found," it quoted the source as saying.
The excavations also yielded a number of jars, clay tablets, seals used at that time, and toys. A well and two canals used to carry water to the temple and the houses and clay basins to collect water were uncovered.
-----
Brilliant, isn´t it?
Delighted to share this piece of news with you and thanks John for it!
best,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Temple of Inanna Rediscovered!!!!
Are there any pictures, or plans, released yet? I'm curious to see this relief. I do wish they would stop referring to our dear Ishtar as "mother goddess" though...
Re: Temple of Inanna Rediscovered!!!! Inanna/Ishar was a mother, but definetly not a typical mommy type
Also, I am delighted to let you know that a major interpretation of Inanna and Ebih is done by Dr. Bernard Buttler and can be found in Chapter 5 of his PhD thesis in progress, www.inannapaganqueen.com It is a real pleasure to refer you to his text
I may add some liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle, veeeeeeery little pieces on Anu and Inanna based on alchemy. Daddy Skyfather had lost touch with earthly affairs, or the first generation of astral gods who represented powers of the skies as reflected on earth start losing power to the younger generation of mover and shaker gods and goddesses. In Mesopotamia, the generational conflict between old and younger gods also seem to be a constant (see Enuma Elish, Ninurta fighting Anzu for the Tablets of Destiny for all the gods, etc. ) We have touched this ground already in the thread Gendered Old Age and the Enuma Elish.
I will get my alchemical notes and report on them to you!
best regards and Happy Halloween/Samhain or Beltane, wherever you are!
love, light and laughter,
Lishtar
The difference is that now we have a younger goddess.
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
On the protection of women and children
Extracted from Gender and Aging in Mesopotamia, by Professor Harris, Oklahoma University Press, 2000:
Page 111:
Noteworthy is the concern expressed in a letter of the Assyrian King Sargon II (721-705 BCE) for the support of the widows of fallen soldiers. The king orders the addressee, whose name is no longer preserved, to
"enquire and investigate and write down and dispatch to me the names of the soldiers killed and their sons and daughters. Perhaps there is a man who has subjugated a widow as his slave girl, or has subjugated a son or daughter in servitude. Enuire and investigate and bring him/them forth. Perhaps there is a son who has gone into conscription in place of his father, this alone do not write down. But be sure to enquire and find out all the widows, write them down, define their status and send them to me".
So much for the barbarian Assyrian kings, another bad press we had... My friend Dr. Paul Collins, who does Gallery Talks in the British Museum, compared once the Assyrian empire expansionism to the one of the British Empire in the 19th century...
Enjoy your day and may peace be restored in all worlds!
Melissa, Happy, Happy Birthday, Dear One!
from
Lish
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Inanna/Ishtar as the Warrior Goddess
I must confess I have serious reservations about the way I developed this thread ... sighs
hmm.. in my defense I can only say that I did learn a great deal about the Shadow Warriors, which was the trigger anyway, one of them, for this very thread.
However, my experience of the Divine Warrior in Inanna/Ishtar is much richer. I have myself a warrioress attitude towards life, but my Quest is for Battles with the Sword of Knowledge, Insight and Relentless No Mercy attitude towards the detractors of Mesopotamia. These are Battles to end ignorance about our ways, intolerance and to bring a bit more light to our True Ways. Without a kill, of course!!!
There is an ad shown at CNN produced by the Olympics Committee which I adore. The super-athlete says that s/he has an adversary, not an enemy. The adversary´s strength gives him/her courage, his/her spirit enobles him/her, and that in the hour of victory, the super-athlete will honour her/him.
I guess this is a honourable and right way to finish this thread.
Inanna/Ishtar be praised!
best,
Lishtar ... who did Karate and enjoyed it to the fullest!
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
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