In the heart of ancient Iraq lies the remains of one of the world's oldest civilizations.
Here, over six thousand years ago, a unique culture would arise which we know today as Sumer.
Far ahead of their time this unique culture is often credited with many advancements. But,
what's most fascinating of all is their complex legends centred on a wide pantheon of gods.
Join us in this startling take as we embark on a journey to the shadowy era of Mesopotamian
folklore. Here, we hear mentions of immortal deities, fascinating powers, and realms that
separate our world from that of the gods. On today's expedition, we’ll descend into the
darkness of the underworld to uncover the story of a beautiful goddess and her dance with death.
Ancient Sumer
Ancient Sumer made up a vast part of the territory we now know as
modern-day Iraq. According to historians, they were the first of the Mesopotamians,
a collection of cultures that lay between the revered Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
It’s thought they rose to prominence in around 4000 BCE.
Sumer was not an individual political entity but more of a collection of independent city states.
Known for their advancements in architecture, agriculture,
and writing, as well as governance and trade, they rose to become what
many consider to be the first great civilization in this part of the world.
The Sumerians provided archaeologists with various questions. One of the most unique is that their
language is unrelated to later Mesopotamian culture. But even more so, the individual
accounts of gods living among mortals and the effects the disputes between the gods have on
the cities are explained in great detail. The Deity Inanna - Unique and Mysterious
One of Sumer's most unusual and best-known deities is a goddess known as Inanna. She
was a unique character who made numerous appearances all throughout the various epics.
Known as the daughter of the moon deity Nanna and sister to the dark queen of
the underworld and death, Ereshkigal, Inanna was the queen of the heavens.
Her most memorable journey is recorded in the ancient Sumerian poem, The Descent of Inanna.
According to scholars, the story was written sometime around 2000 BC,
not long before the eventual demise of the Sumerian culture.
The Descent Of Inanna
Our story begins with the great goddess deciding to venture into the underworld to visit her
recently widowed sister, Ereshkigal, who presides over the realm of death. Joined by her faithful
advisor and loyal servant, Ninshubur, Inanna prepares for her journey to the land where very
few return from. Just before she lets off on her travels, the goddess decides to dress herself in
fine linen and wears the crown of heaven on her head. She drapes herself in various golden items,
including a breastplate and jewellery, and carries the sceptre of power in her hand.
As we approach the secretive gates to the underworld, Inanna turns to her faithful
advisor and gives her instructions on what to do, should she fail to return
at the proposed time. With one final goodbye, Inanna begins to bang on the underworld's gates,
and soon she’s met with an eerily response. Neti, the chief guardian of the underworld, asks,
Who dares bang on my gates? Inanna replies it is I, queen of the heavens and the moon. To this,
Neti replies, Why do you wish to enter a land from which no traveler returns? The Heavenly
goddess proceeds to put on a brave voice and says: “Because of my older sister, Ereshkigal.
Her husband, Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, has died. I have come to witness the funeral rites.”
How and why the bull of heaven died is another interesting story,
which you can follow in our video "The True Origin of Genesis Will Blow Your Mind"
Treachery In The Family
After Inanna explains the situation to Neti, the guardian of the gate runs to speak with
Ereshkigal about the situation. But the queen of death seemed to be rather unsettled by the
arrival of her heavy sister. Ereshkigal slapped her thigh and bit her lip hard, suggesting she was
displeased with Inanna’s proposal to enter her kingdom. Nonetheless, she tells Neti to return
to the gate and allow Inanna to pass through each of the seven gates one at a time. But,
the queen of the heavens must remove one piece of her royal garment as she passes through each gate.
Confused by the strange request, Inanna agrees to do so under the
impression that she will receive safe passage in and out of the underworld.
So, as Inanna proceeds, she is slowly stripped of her clothing, crown, jewelry,
and sceptre before passing through the final gate, now completely naked.
Neti leads her to the throne room of Ereshkigal, where she confronts her sister and asks what is
the meaning of these actions?. The queen of the underworld looked at her sister with a
sinister grin and revealed she was going to be judged by gods of the underworld.
The evil and corrupted souls who watch over the valley of death passed judgement against Inanna,
and with Ereshkigal's blessing, they decided the queen of the heavens must die.
Shocked by the scenario, Inanna had little to no time to react before Ereshkigal struck her down.
Afterward, the heavenly queen was hung up on a hook on the wall like cattle following slaughter.
The Faithful Aid
For three long days and nights, Ninshubar, the faithful servant of Inanna, awaited
the return of her queen. Yet, she did not surface from the gates. Panic soon set in,
and the servant searched for Inanna's father, Enki, the God of creation, healing, and magic.
After hearing of the events that transpired, he knew Ereshkigal was up to no good and immediately
set up a plan to free his daughter from the underworld. Known as a mischievous deity,
Enki decided to trick the queen of the underworld into releasing Inanna.
He began by creating two beings known as Kurgarru and the Kalaturru, who would sneak into the
underworld disguised as flies. When they arrived in the throne room, they attached themselves to
Ereshkigal, and they began hatching their plan. They knew Ereshkigal was in labour, and so they
prolonged the effects until she could no longer bear the discomfort. After appearing and offering
their services to help ease the pain, the queen of the underworld repaid them by offering them
anything they could wish for. Kurgarru replied; all we desire is that corpse hanging on the hook.
Ereshkigal agrees to the request; unaware Enki had sent them to retrieve Inanna. The beings would
retrieve the corpse of Inanna with water of life after they escaped beyond the underworld's gates.
Inanna is considered one of the very few heavenly beings who were able to return
from the underworld. She brought back with her various powers of the realm of death and even
knowledge of death itself, which she could share with those in the land of the living.
What The Story Means
Researchers have proposed interpretations of this story over the last century. Many suggest
it's a psychological poem or archetypal myth of each individual's journey to reach wholeness.
It indicates no person is whole until they can unify both their light and dark sides.
During the journey, Inanna would come back from a descent into the darkness
with knowledge of that place, which she could now use to further her spiritual progression in life.
Alternative thinkers have a much different explanation in mind. They claim the story was,
in fact, based in reality, claiming that the goddess, Inanna, did travel to the underworld.
What this would then suggest is that at one point in history, humans were able to travel between
realms by way of some kind of portal. While this theory certainly lacks any kind of real evidence,
we cannot deny the fact that Sumerian literature is full of mentions of gods,
unusual journeys, and events that we cannot explain to this day.
Let us know your thoughts on today's video in the comments section. Do you think this
legend represents one's challenge to overcome the darkness within? Or is it
possible Inanna was a real figure who traveled to another dimension during this era of Sumer?
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