Queen of Heaven; The One Who Is Joy; The One Who Roams About; The Lady of Battle and Confl ict; Lady of Victory; Opener of the Womb
Inanna is the original name of this Sumerian spirit. Ishtar is the Semitic name for this goddess. Even in ancient times, the names were used interchangeably. They refer to the same spirit although they manifest slightly differently. Ishtar is Inanna taken to a greater extreme: she is more sexual, more violent, more aggressive; more volatile. They are the same, but Ishtar is just more so.
Inanna-Ishtar is the archetype of the Near Eastern fertility/war goddess. (Some scholars believe that other goddesses of this ilk—Astarte, Anat, and Aphrodite—are actually paths of Inanna-Ishtar.) She gives life and she takes it away. Inanna-Ishtar battles all day and loves all night.
If we were discussing spirits of modern Haitian Vodou rather than ancient Mesopotamia, Ishtar would be the Petro spirit to Inanna’s Rada. Ishtar is essentially the equivalent of “Inanna La-Flambeau.”
Inanna-Ishtar is the supreme spirit of love, war, fertility, childbirth, and healing. She can cause and cure disease, bestow and withhold children. Her influence extends over humans, plants, and animals. In particular, she provides or withholds the spark of desire that initiates all procreative action and fertility.
• Inanna-Ishtar provides joy
• Inanna-Ishtar controls sexually transmitted diseases. She can heal them but may also bestow them as a mark of her displeasure and punishment.
• Inanna-Ishtar can kill or bless with a glance.
Inanna-Ishtar was no obscure cult spirit but was once worshipped in a major state-sponsored, organized religion. As society became increasingly patriarchal, Inanna-Ishtar fell from favour. The goddess in the guise of a sexy, young, independent warrior-woman was no longer considered an appropriate role model. A theme of disrespect towards her permeates the Epic of Gilga mesh, which dates from the third millennium BCE.
ORIGIN:
Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq)
Manifestations:
A beautiful, young woman, lavishly dressed and bejeweled. She may be thousands of years old, but she consistently appears youthful. The Empress card in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck is based on her image. She is also known to manifest as a fig tree. Inanna-Ishtar sits on a lion throne and holds a double serpent scepter.
ATTRIBUTES:
Crown of stars; lapis lazuli necklace; pitcher
Emblem:
Eight-pointed star
Sacred animals:
Dolphins, lions, snakes, scorpions, hedgehogs; she owns seven hunting dogs; seven lions draw her chariot; she rides a fire-breathing dragon.
Numbers:
7, 15
Bird:
Dove
PLANET:
Venus
Stone:
Lapis lazuli
Tree:
Fig
SACRED SITES:
The center of her veneration was Uruk (the name Iraq may derive from this ancient city); her shrine at Khafajah, Iraq, dates from approximately 4000 BCE.
OFFERINGS:
Incense; wine, artisanal beer, and sweet baked goods, especially if you bake them by hand and form them in her images (once upon a time, ancient cake molds were manufactured); but most of all absolute, unconditional adoration, devotion, and loyalty. She is a volatile, unpredictable, temperamental spirit, especially in her path as Ishtar. Well-maintained altar or artistic tributes should be pleasing.
SEE ALSO:
- Anat
- Aphrodite
- Astarte
- Bau
- Ereshkigal
- Ezili La Flambeau
- Ishhara
- Lamashtu
- Lilith
- Ogun La Flambeau
- Petro
- Rada Spirits
- Tammuz
- Tanit
Source:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.
NOTE:
Since the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and others all shared essentially the same pantheon and belief systems, these articles are all combined under the Mesopotamian mythology / deities / legendary creatures category.