Innanna

From Sumeria the bounteous goddess Inanna is the central figure of the oldest recorded story of death and resurrection in the world.

She is not only a Goddess of beauty and love, sacred and profane, but also a very bloodthirsty Goddess of war.
"When I stand in the front (line) of battle
I am the leader of all the lands,
When I stand at the opening of the battle,
I am the quiver ready to hand,
When I stand in the midst of the battle,
The arm of the warriors,
When I begin moving at the end of the battle,
I am an evilly rising flood, ?" [Jacobsen: Treasures of Darkness.]

Enheduanna - Priestess of Inanna

(about 2300 BCE - estimated at 2350 or 2250)
priestess and poet - earliest author in the world known by name
Daughter of the great Akkadian king, Sargon, Enheduanna helped her father solidify his political power by merging the worship of many local city goddesses into worship of the Sumerian goddess, Inanna, raising Inanna to a superior position over all other deities.

She wrote three hymns to Inanna which survive and which illustrate three quite different themes of ancient religious faith. In one, Inanna is a ferocious warrior goddess. A second celebrates Inanna's role in governing civilization and overseeing the home and children. In a third, Enheduanna calls on her personal relationship with the goddess for help in regaining her position as priestess of the temple against adversity.

			Brattleboro Ultimate Group


			From Sumeria the bounteous goddess Inanna is the central figure of the oldest recorded story of death and resurrection in the world. She is not only a Goddess of beauty and love, sacred and profane, but also a very bloodthirsty Goddess of war. "When I stand in the front (line) of battle I am the leader of all the lands, When I stand at the opening of the battle, I am the quiver ready to hand, When I stand in the midst of the battle, The arm of the warriors, When I begin moving at the end of the battle, I am an evilly rising flood, ?" [Jacobsen: Treasures of Darkness.] Enheduanna - Priestess of Inanna (about 2300 BCE - estimated at 2350 or 2250) priestess and poet - earliest author in the world known by name Daughter of the great Akkadian king, Sargon, Enheduanna helped her father solidify his political power by merging the worship of many local city goddesses into worship of the Sumerian goddess, Inanna, raising Inanna to a superior position over all other deities. She wrote three hymns to Inanna which survive and which illustrate three quite different themes of ancient religious faith. In one, Inanna is a ferocious warrior goddess. A second celebrates Inanna's role in governing civilization and overseeing the home and children. In a third, Enheduanna calls on her personal relationship with the goddess for help in regaining her position as priestess of the temple against adversity.