Ishtar (deity)
Ishtar is a significant deity in Mesopotamian religion, primarily regarded as the goddess of war and love, with strong associations to fertility. Worshipped by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, her character is complex and has evolved over time, influenced by the cultural amalgamation following the expansion of empires. Her name, derived from Semitic language, translates to "leading one" or "chief," reflecting her multifaceted nature as both a warrior and a giver of life.
Originally a goddess of grain and livestock, Ishtar later took on roles associated with storms and warfare. In Sumerian tradition, she is often identified with Innana, who embodies fertility and beauty. Ishtar's mythology, particularly in the *Epic of Gilgamesh*, highlights her dual nature as both a powerful seductress and a warlike figure, capable of causing destruction when spurned. Her stories also explore themes of life, death, and rebirth, notably illustrated by her descent into the underworld and subsequent revival through the intervention of her father, Enki.
Worship of Ishtar was widespread, with significant temples established in major city-states, including Ur and Babylon, where the famous Ishtar Gate was constructed. This gate, adorned with blue tiles, symbolized her importance in the culture. Additionally, some aspects of her worship included practices related to sacred prostitution, reflecting her connections to love and fertility. Overall, Ishtar represents a rich tapestry of themes that resonate throughout Mesopotamian history and mythology.
Ishtar (deity)
Symbols: lion, bundle of reeds, eight-pointed star, military arms (bow and arrow)
Culture: Mesopotamian
Mother: Ningal
Father: Anu/An/Nanna/Sin or Enki/Ea
Siblings: Utu; Ereshkigal
Children: unknown
Ishtar was a primarily the goddess of war and love (or more precisely, fertility) in Mesopotamian religion, worshipped by Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. Yet her role was complex and evolved over time. Some scholars believe this was a result of the expansion of the empire and the merging of different conquered peoples and cultures. In this way, she may have acquired the powers of lesser goddesses. Ishtar’s name is derived from the Semitic language, which was used by the Akkadians. Her name means "leading one" or "chief," which is revealed through her role as goddess of war, but also "life giver," which is revealed through her role as goddess of fertility.
In earliest times, she was the goddess of grain, dates, meat, and wool. In this role, he was often depicted with gates of a storehouse. Other, later roles show her as the goddess of rain and storms. In this role, she is often shown with a roaring lion. Then Ishtar evolved into a third role, that of goddess of war, which some scholars believe was the result of her role of goddess of storms, because they were related to or associated with war. In Sumer, Innana (often identified with Ishtar) was personified as a fertility goddess. She was also the goddess of the storehouse and was connected to the god of the date tree. Innana was depicted as youthful and attractive and could have been the wife of the date tree god. Later, she was called Queen of Heaven or the Universe. By some accounts, Ishtar’s role as goddess of fertility also evolved into that of a range of contradictions within, including death, war, fire, violence, and disaster, yet also joyfulness, life (fertility), and femininity.
In Mythology
Ishtar’s persona is revealed in two key Mesopotamian mythological stories. The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written in cuneiform on stone tablets between 2150 and 1400 BC, provides some insight into Ishtar’s role as a lover and seductress. In Tablet VI of the epic, Ishtar asks Sumerian (Uruk) king Gilgamesh to be her lover. (Some scholars believe that she takes on a more masculine role and asks him to marry her.) Gilgamesh rejects her because he knows that she has had many lovers before him. In this sense, she was also personified as a goddess of prostitutes. Ishtar was so distraught and angered by his words that she went to her father (in the heavens) and asked him to punish Gilgamesh. Her father sent the Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgamesh, but instead the bull caused vast destruction. Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu killed the bull, which upset Ishtar and the gods. As a punishment, the gods send a curse to kill Enkidu. Gilgamesh is left to mourn the loss of his good friend.
Ishtar was deeply saddened by Gilgamesh’s rejection but at the same time, she was a warmonger, motivated by political gain and power. Therefore, her two sides, personified as masculine, through making war, and feminine, through sexuality, are revealed. This is not the only contradiction that Ishtar emphasizes in her role. She took Dumuzi (Tammuz), who was a shepherd, as first as her lover, then as her husband. According to mythology, Ishtar may have wanted to expand her power so she descended to the underworld, which was ruled by her sister Ereshkigal. She had to pass through seven gates, and at each gate had to give up one symbol of her powers. She stood bare in front of her sister at the last gate. Ishtar wanted to take over the underworld from her sister but was now powerless. Ereshkigal told her that she must die, and Ishtar died immediately. However, when Enki, her father, heard that Ishtar could not be found anywhere, he sent two messengers to find her and to bring her back to life. They used the Plant and Water of Life to revive her. In order to escape from the underworld, she still had to give a sacrifice to her sister, so she offered her husband Dumuzi. He personified plants and vegetation but he also represented the dying god because of being sacrificed by Ishtar. Dumuzi only lives in the underworld for six months of the year, which coincides with the agricultural season. In some accounts, Ishtar went to the underworld because Dumuzi was already dead, and she was going to try to take him with her. Yet, when she was in the underworld she became ill with a plethora of "miseries" that consumed her. In response, the gods replaced her on earth to ensure that fertility would continue without Ishtar.
Origins and Cults
The Mesopotamians were a river valley civilization that was dependent on agriculture. Many settlements generally had their own deities, yet as the population grew, city-states formed. Allegiance began to shift to one main goddess in the south (Inanna) and one (Ishtar) in the north. Eventually Ishtar assumed many characteristics and aspects of Inanna.
Uruk in Sumer was the central place of cult worship of Ishtar. Because she was one of the most worshipped and popular goddesses, the Sumerians erected templates in all major city-states of the civilization. These cities included Ur, Umma, Nippur, Sippar, and Larsa, among others. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II built the Ishtar Gate to honor the goddess in about 575 BCE. It was one of several gates that were constructed but served as the main gate to the city of Babylon. The blue-tiled gate was discovered in the early 1900s, reconstructed, and partly resides in the Pergamon Musuem in Berlin. Some scholars believe that because of her connection to prostitution, some of the cult worshippers engaged in prostitution at the temples dedicated to Ishtar.
Bibliography
Ackerman, Susan. When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David. New York: Columbia UP, 2012. Print.
Bahrani, Zainab. Women of Babylon: Gender and Representation in Mesopotamia. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Brunel, Pierre, ed. Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes, and Archetypes. London: Routledge, 2015. Print.
Leick, Gwendolyn, ed. The Babylonian World. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print.
Littleton, C. Scott, ed. Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Vol. 6. Tarrytown: Cavendish, 2005. Print.
Monaghan, Patricia, ed. Goddesses in World Culture. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.
Monaghan, Patricia, ed. Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines: Revised. Novato: New World, 2014. Print.