Inanna

Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Sumerian goddess of love, sex, war, beauty, fertility, political power, justice, and combat. Inanna (known as Ishtar in Akkad) was known as the Morning Star, the planet Venus. She is by far the most complex of all Mesopotamian deities, displaying contradictory, even paradoxical traits. In Sumerian stories and poetry, she is often portrayed as a seductive young woman and other times as an ambitious, power-hungry goddess seeking to expand her influence. She is the patroness of sex workers and the mother of sacred prostitution (which gives to the theory that she is the origin of Babylon the Great, the Queen of Harlots in the Bible). 

Inanna is equally fond of making war as she is of making love: “Battle is a feast to her”. In battle, she is full of blood-lust and strikes her enemies down with ease, reveling in her power and destruction. The warlike aspect of the goddess tends to be expressed in politically charged contexts in which the goddess is praised in connection with royal power and military might. She was especially beloved by the Assyrians, who elevated her to become the highest deity in their pantheon, ranking above their own national god Ashur. Inanna-Ištar is alluded to in the Torah and she was eventually renamed as the Phoenician-Egyptian goddess Astoreth, who later became the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

Her most famous myth, Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld, features Inanna attempting to conquer her sister Ereshkigal’s domain, Kur (the Sumerian Underworld). Another myth depicts Inanna outwitting the god of wisdom himself in order to steal the mes, which represented all positive and negative aspects of civilization (making her the new keeper of the cosmic laws), and in another, she takes over the Eanna temple from Anu, the sky god.

Inanna was also the enforcer of divine justice and was said to have destroyed the mountain Ebih for having challenged her authority, though some theorize that the word mountain could have also been translated as dragon. In many of her hymns, Inanna is even compared to dragons- laying waste to the lands, raining down fire, and freezing the blood of her enemies with her war-cries. Though despite her great terror and strength, Inanna is also the giver of life and is connected to light, as the Morning Star. She basks in her own surpassing beauty, like that of a burning Sun, and is deeply romantic and compassionate.

In my personal experiences with this goddess, she often either appears as a tall, slender young woman with very long wavy black hair, red eyes, and wearing a low-cut deep red dress adorned in golden jewelry or as a naked woman covered in blood. Petals of red roses sometimes fall about her feet or she may be accompanied by fire. She is a withdrawn deity who tends to keep to herself but her voice burns with raw power that can send chills down one’s spine. Though she has a more gentle side that she may show where she becomes more nurturing, but will not coddle her devotees.
She brings the scent of fire, roses, and myrrh and holds herself high, but expects her followers to do the same, despite her beautiful terror that could bring even entire armies to their knees. Inanna is indeed quite vain, power-hungry, courageous, and sadistic, but she is also deeply compassionate, wise, motherly, and light-hearted. Her softer side is deeply romantic, she adores luxury, artwork, and poetry and is fiercely loyal to those she loves.
On the other hand, Inanna hates injustices with a fierce passion and will always defend those who are mistreated while also ensuring the destruction of their assailants. If you ever need someone to show you your strength or to simply offer comfort, Inanna will be there for you as she supports all who are in need (this also includes those who transition genders). 

Her symbols (historical and personal): Lions, roses, swords, dragons, doves, rosettes, the eight-pointed star, scorpions, snakes, pomegranates, stars, fire, red roses, mirrors

Epithets of Inanna:

• Queen of Heaven
• Queen of Earth
• The Morning and Evening Star
• Foremost in Battle
• Destroyer of Foreign Lands
• The Lady of a Myriad Offices
• Holy Priestess of Heaven
• The Heroic Champion
• Lover and Beloved United as One
• Triumphant Femininity
• Law-Giver
• Lady of the Womb
• Young Sovereign
• Joyous Bride
• Maker of Kings
• Fierce Protector Shaman Who Transcends Death
• She Who is Like a Dragon

Offerings for Inanna:

Red fruits, honey, chili peppers, wine (especially red), champagne, ale, pomegranate juice, rose tea, coffee, chocolates, aphrodisiacs, cream and sugar, Middle Eastern foods, red roses, black dahlias, spider lilies, lingerie, sex toys, orgasms, blood, menstrual blood, golden jewelry, garnet, rubies, diamonds, strong tobacco, bones, lava rocks, obsidian, onyx, bloodstone, red aura quartz, myrrh, dragon’s blood incense, sandalwood, opium incense, perfume, pictures of stars, crocodile teeth, snakeskin, vulture skulls/feathers, sand, red candles, mirrors, black pearls, lotion, make-up products, swords, daggers, shields, ashes, dove feathers/skulls, artwork, poetry, prose, imagery of the planet Venus, and imagery or statues of lions/dragons/snakes/doves