She is also regarded as Venus, the star of the morning and evening, and the goddess of Rome. Inanna is one of the candidates cited in Bernie's relief (commonly known as the theme of the Queen's Night). Sonka's relief "The Age from Babylon (River 1792 to BC 1750)" ruled Hammurabi, and although her sister Erliche Kigal is a goddess, she is most likely to be depicted.
In some myths, she is the daughter of Jean, the god of wisdom, fresh water, magic and many other elements and life, while in others, she is the daughter of Nanna, the god of the moon and wisdom. As the daughter of Nanna, she is the twin sister of Uto/Chamach, the sun god. In any story about her, her strength and provocation are almost decisive features.
Inanna in myth
Through the work of Akkadian poets and high priestesses, Nduana (2285-2250 BC), the daughter of Sargon the Great (2334-2279 BC), Inanna was especially regarded as the most popular goddess of Tianhou and Mesopotamia. Historian Gwendolyn Lake wrote:
Inanna is the most important Sumerian goddess and the patron saint of uruk. Her name is written with a sign, which represents a reed pole tied in a ring at the top. This appeared in the earliest writing in the middle of 4000 BC. In the list of all the early gods, she was also mentioned among the four great gods, along with Anu, Jean and Ilir. In the royal inscriptions of early dynasties, Inanna was often called the special protector of the king. Akkad in sargon took away her support for fighting and politics. It seems that in the third millennium, the goddess gained a military aspect, probably due to her fusion with the semitic god Hista. Inanna's main shrine is Ianna ("Paradise House") in uruk, although she has temples or chapels in most cities. (89)
The goddess appeared in uruk, bringing knowledge and ancient Mesopotamian mythology and culture.
Goddess appeared in many ancient Mesopotamian myths, the most famous of which are Inanna and Hulupu (an early creation myth), Inanna and the God of Wisdom (who brought knowledge and culture to uruk when she was drunk in uruk), Inanna's courtship with Dumz (the story of Inanna marrying a plant god), and the most famous poem Inanna's decline (about 6544 BC).
In addition to these works and short hymns to Inanna, she is also famous for the longer and more complicated hymns written by Enkhduana to commemorate her personal goddess and the patron saint of uruk: Inninsagurra, Ninmesarra and Inninmehusa. These hymns have been translated into three powerful hymns, namely, Great Heart, Mistress, Ascension of Inanna and Goddess of Power. Inanna's personal ambition has been confirmed in many works featuring her. Dr Jeremy Black wrote:
Violence and the desire for power, she stood by her favorite king and fought for it. In a Sumerian poem, Inanna fought against Mount Aji. Her journey to Eridu in order to obtain meh and her descent to the underworld are both described as an attempt to expand her power. ( 108)
This ambition can also be seen from her manipulation of the forgotten in the story of the gourd tree: when she couldn't solve the problem of pests in the tree and couldn't get help from her brother Uto/Chamach, she attracted people's attention. I forgot who helped her solve the problem. However, her intention in this story is honest. She just wants to plant this tree to harvest wood, but she can't cope with the serious threatening pests that make her home. Her sacred drums and drum gifts insisted on the help of the forgotten, which eventually led Enkidu to go to the underworld to retrieve them, as well as the fascinating enlightenment his soul brought to the forgotten.
In forgotten one's famous Sumerian/Babylonian epic (2700- 1400 BC), Inanna appeared as Hista, and in Phoenician mythology, she was Ashtar. In the Greek myth "The Trial of Paris" and other stories in ancient Greece, Aphrodite is traditionally associated with Inanna through her beauty and sexiness. Inanna is always portrayed as a young woman. She has never been a mother or a faithful wife. She is fully aware of her feminine strength, faces life bravely, and is not worried about what others will think of her, especially men.
In forgotten one's epic, as Hista, she is considered promiscuous, jealous and malicious. When she tried to seduce the Forgotten, the Forgotten listed many other lovers, who all suffered misfortune under her hand. Angry at his refusal, she sent her sister Ereshkigal's husband, Gugulana (paradise bull), to destroy the kingdom of the forgotten. Gugulana was later killed by Enkidu, a forgotten close friend and comrade-in-arms, for which he was sentenced to death by the gods. Enkidu's death is the catalyst for Forgotten's famous exploration of the meaning of life. Therefore, Inanna is the core of one of the greatest ancient epics.
The appearance of the goddess
She often appears in the company of lions, symbolizing courage, and sometimes even rides a lion as the supreme symbol of her "king of beasts". In her role as Sivir, Inanna is depicted in male armor and combat suit (statues often show her holding an arrow barrel and a bow), so she is also considered as the Greek goddess Athena Nike. She is further associated with Demeter, a goddess of fertility, while Persephone is a dying and resurrected god, which is undoubtedly the continuation of her initial incarnation as a goddess of rural agriculture.
Although some writers say otherwise, Inanna has never been regarded as the mother idol of other gods, such as Leningrad. Dr Jeremy Black pointed out:
One aspect of (Inanna's personality) is the goddess of love and sex, but it is especially related to extramarital sex and-in a way that has not been fully studied-to prostitution. Inanna is neither a goddess of marriage nor a goddess of mother. The so-called holy marriage she participated in has no moral significance for human marriage. ( 108)
On the contrary, Inanna is an independent woman who does whatever she wants, regardless of the consequences, either manipulating, threatening or trying to seduce others to solve the difficulties caused by her actions. No poems, stories or legends describe her in any way, nor do they depict her playing the role of mother goddess.
In the pantheon of Mesopotamia, Inanna's genes changed with the times of myths and stories. She is the daughter of Anu, the supreme god, but she is also depicted as the daughter of Nanna, the moon god, and his spouse Ningel. In other words, she is the daughter of Enki, the god of wisdom, the sister of Elleuch Kagar (the goddess of the underworld), the twin sister of Uto/Chamach, the sun god, and the sister of Ishkur (also known as Adade), the god of storms. She is sometimes called the daughter of Ilir, the supreme air god.
Her husband Du Zimu suffered from her rash choice in the poem "The Coming of Inanna", and he became a dying and resurrected Du Muzide god in time. Every autumn equinox, people celebrate the sacred wedding of Inanna and Du Zimu (Hista and Du Muzide). When he comes back from the underworld to mate with her again, this land will be revived. The sacred marriage between Inanna and Dumuzi is the core of fertile land. On important festivals (such as Akitu Festival in Babylon), it is performed by kings and priestesses, or symbolically in pantomime.
Inanna's worship
Her temple in uruk is her main worship center, but there are also many temples and shrines in Mesopotamia. Both men and women employ sacred * * * to ensure the fertility of the earth and the continued prosperity of the community. Male transsexuals called kurgarra identify themselves as men, and women are called galatur；; They are all thought to have been transformed by Inanna/Hista himself, or created by the father, Ikey, to save Inanna from the underworld. The descendants of Inanna pointed out that Yiqi made them "gender-neutral", and the clergy of Inanna Temple respected this tradition by embodying it. Scholar Colin Spencer commented:
Sacred prostitution is the core part of the temple ceremony. The priestess held a sacred wedding to ensure the wealth of the country and the great wealth of the new king, because the king mated with the holy priestess in the early days of his rule. Some of the smaller priestesses are also musicians, singers and dancers. Of course, there are also men and women. The goddess Hista turned these men into women to show her amazing power. However, although Hista is an omnipotent being and respected through prostitution, and it is also an important economic factor in the operation of the temple, the role of women in society is second only to that of men. (29)
Inanna was a powerful and popular goddess until the popularity of female gods declined during the reign of Hammurabi. According to the scholar Samuel Noah Kramer, this coincides with the loss of women's status and rights in society. However, as an Assyrian, Hista continued to be widely revered, and inspired other cultures in the Near East and other regions to look like gods.
Eternal goddess
Inanna is one of the oldest gods who recorded their names in ancient Sumer. She was listed as one of the earliest seven divine forces: Anu, Ilir, Yiqi, Leningrad, Nanna, Wutu and Inanna. These seven will form the basis of many characteristics of God later. As far as Inanna is concerned, as mentioned above, she will inspire similar gods in many other cultures.
Inanna's personality is completely different from the traditional mother goddess (such as the example of Leningrad Sage). She is an arrogant and independent young woman. Impulsive but calculating, kind, indifferent to other people's feelings or property or even life. Jeremy Black wrote:
The fact that Inanna has no permanent male spouse in any tradition is closely related to her role as a goddess. Even Du, who is often described as a "lover", has a very ambiguous relationship with her, and she is ultimately responsible for his death. ( 108)
Sumerians can think of such a goddess, which shows their cultural value and understanding of femininity. In Sumerian culture, women are considered equal. Even if we make a rough survey of its Pantheon, we will find many important female gods, such as Gula, Ninghelsag, Nisaba and Ningkasi. However, with the passage of time, these goddesses lost their status as male gods.
Under the rule of King Hammurabi of the Amorites in Babylon (reigned in 1792- 1750 BC), the goddess was increasingly replaced by the gods. Inanna maintained her status and prestige, and was adopted by Assyria and the New Assyrian Empire as the goddess of Hista, war and sex, but many others did not perform well. Nisaba, a former scribe of the gods and guardian of words, was assimilated by Naboo under the rule of Hammurabi, which is also the fate of many others.
However, Inanna endured because she was so accessible and recognizable. It is no coincidence that both women and men can be associated with this goddess. Both sexes serve her as priests, temple servants and sacred. Inanna makes people want to serve her because of who she is, not what she can offer. Her devotees remain loyal to her after her temple stops worshipping. She is closely related to the morning star and the evening star, and even today, she is still-although few people remember her name.