INANNA: ETYMOLOGY, ORIGIN, ATTRIBUTES, DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS - HISTORY - 2025

Inanna was one of the main goddesses in the mythology of the Sumerian people. It had a great relevance because it was associated with fertility, procreation, sexual love and war.

About her origin there were various hypotheses, which stated that she was the daughter of the moon god, Nanna, while others asserted that her father was Enki. Other beliefs indicated that the deity was the twin sister of Shamash, daughter of the god of the sky, Anu, and therefore, sister of the queen of the underworld, Ereshkigal.

Source: wikimedia

Inanna

The lady in the sky, as she was also called, was characterized by having a rather complex personality, which is exposed through the various stories of the time.

On the one hand, he is presented as a celestial deity of a gentle character, which is described through the mythology called Inanna's descent into the underworld. While other myths of the time, such as the one related to the destruction of Mount Ebih, refer to a divinity of strong character who revealed herself even before the wishes of her father Anu.

With regard to its attributes, in its representations a duality was shown, On the one hand as a deity characterized by its great femininity and in other iconographies it is shown with male clothing and a beard.

Its great relevance was manifested through the extension of its cult to different civilizations, such as the Phoenician and the Greek, in which although it acquired another name, it maintained identical responsibilities and similar characteristics.

Inanna was also associated with nature, specifically with elements such as wool, grains, and meat. In the same way, the belief that it had a close relationship with storms was maintained. In this sense, it was stated that thunder was the roar of the lion that accompanied her.

Etymology

The origin of the term that gave its name to the goddess of fertility is from the Sumerian Nin-an-ak, whose meaning refers to the lady in the sky.

The divinity was known by other names, such as Ninsiana, insofar as it was considered to be closely related to the sidereal star, Venus.

The phrase "queen of heaven" was also used to refer to the goddess by the Sumerians, which led to a transformation to her original name, Ninnanna.

Origin of the goddess

On its origin there was no agreement, in fact, various theories arose in various towns of Mesopotamia in order to explain its origin.

The goddess of sexual love of the Sumerians, according to some beliefs, was the daughter of the sky god, Anu, and at the same time a twin sister of the well-known sun god, Shamash or Utu.

Being the daughter of the god of heaven, she was the younger sister of the supreme authority of the underworld or land of the dead, the most feared goddess of the Mesopotamian pantheon, Ereshkigal.

In this case, Inanna was recognized as the heir to the heavens and others claimed that the divinity was the daughter of the god of magic and wisdom, Enki.

In the myth that narrates the descent of the deity of fertility, love and war to the underworld, the one who intercedes for her so that she recovers life and can leave the underworld is her father, the god Enki.

Other criteria suggested that the so-called queen of the sky was the daughter of the moon god, called Nanna in Sumerian and Sin in Akkadian, with whom in the company of Shamash she constituted a cosmic triad.

Attributes

Inanna appeared in different iconographic representations as a naked woman, who on many occasions was accompanied by a lion in which she was shown on the cat's back or with one leg on it.

The animal that is associated as part of its attributes is the lion, whose meaning is bravery and courage. As the deity in one of its facets was related to storms, the thunders, which are part of this natural phenomenon, were similar to the roar of this animal.

As a worthy representative of the war, she was symbolized with armor or battle suits, with weapons and, on occasions, she had a beard.

In her role as the fertility divinity she was shown as a beautiful young woman, naked, with horns on her head. In Syrian culture, their nakedness was covered only by an open robe.

Another of her attributes was a group of reeds as a sign of being the goddess of plant life. It should be noted that the figure of Inanna was considered related to the planet Venus and, based on this, one of the elements that described her was the eight-pointed star.

Source: wikimedia

The 8-pointed star is one of Inanna's attributes.

Inanna worship

In honor of the goddess, multiple temples were built throughout Mesopotamia in order to provide her with all kinds of attention, since it was believed that in this way they would have her protection.

The main temple was built in the city of Uruk and, according to traditions, all kinds of trophies from wars were handed out in these buildings. In addition, sacred rituals such as marriages and sexual exchanges were carried out in honor of Inanna.

Inanna in different cultures / civilizations

The relevance of the Sumerian goddess led her cult to spread to different civilizations in which she was called by different names but always had the same responsibilities.

Inanna, the Sumerian deity of fertility, procreation, war, sexual love and, in its beginnings, nature or plant life, for the Assyrians and Akkadians was called Ishtar.

It should be noted that although Inanna and Ishtar represented the same divinity, in each of the civilizations they acquired different characteristics.

As Ishtar was shown with female features, more determined and independent, while Inanna, in some of the stories, is associated as a figure surrendered, as it were, to patriarchal norms.

However, it is one of the most difficult deities to decipher because after the analysis of the stories of the time, quite contradictory characteristics were attributed to it.

For example, the myth about Inanna's descent into the underworld refers to two theories. The first refers to the fact that the reason that led her to move to the land of the dead was to console Ereshkigal, while on the other hand they relate the visit to their wishes to extend their power.

In greek culture

In Greece, the Sumerian deity takes on another name and differs in attributes, however, it retains the same characteristics and similar responsibilities are attributed.

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess who represents love, fertility, lust, sex and beauty, known for how beautiful she was, her jovial appearance, as well as her great sensuality.

Regarding the attributes of the Greek divinity, these are represented by two animals; the dolphin and the dove, plus the seashell and an apple.

These attributes obey one of the strongest theories regarding the origin of the Greek goddess, which describes how the god Uranus, in the middle of a confrontation with Cronos, lost his genitalia, which fell into the sea and the foam of his sperm Aphrodite was born.

In Phoenician culture

Among the Semites, the devotion to the goddess of sensual love, fertility and war, which in these lands received the name of Astarte, led them to build a large number of temples.

Astarte was one of the main deities and the settlers attached great importance to honoring her constantly in order to obtain her protection and not be punished.

The cult of the divinity included various activities such as sacred prostitution in their temples, animal sacrifices and the delivery of trophies obtained in battles.

The attributes of Astarte are similar to those of Inanna in the case of the lion, with which she was represented in different iconographies, as well as depicting her as a naked and young woman. However, they differ in the circle with the star as a symbol of the planet Venus, which is associated with the figure of the Phoenicians.

Inanna and the destruction of Mount Ebih

One of the myths of Mesopotamia that include the goddess, is related to the set of actions that she undertook in order to destroy the renowned mountain. In this story one of the negative personality traits attributed to the deity, associated with pride, was revealed.

According to the story, in one of Inanna's trips, she came across Mount Ebih and felt offended by such majestic beauty, which she associated with a lack of respect for her.

He made the decision to finish off the mountain but communicated it to the god Anu, considered the creator of the mountain in question, to which he refused.

However, he ignored his father's position and went to Mount Ebih, where he was responsible for causing a massive destruction of the majestic natural work.

References

1. Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Godessess. (2016). Inanna / Ishtar (Goddess). Taken from uppen.edu
2. Ancient Origins in Spanish. (2,017). Sumerian mythology: Inanna's descent into the underworld. Taken from ancient-origins.es
3. Encyclopedia Britannica. Ishtar Mesopotamian Goddess. Taken from britannica.com
4. Inanna. Taken from fandom.com
5. Mark, J, J, (2010). Inanna. Taken from ancient.eu
6. Vázquez, H, A, M, (2.005). The goddess Inanna. Taken from uned.es