©Selina Fenech
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Inanna / Ishtar / Astarte
Sumerian / Babylonian / Phoenician

These three goddesses developed sequentially - first Inanna, then Ishtar, and finally Astarte. She has also gone by the names Anath, Asherah, and Ashtaroth. While I've only heard the tale of the Descent (given below) feature Inanna and Ishtar, all three goddesses share the general attributes of love, war, fertility, and reproduction. The Greek Aphrodite is considered by some to be a further development in this goddess's evolution. Their consorts, respectively, are Dumuzi, Tammuz, and Baal.

Inanna descended into the Underworld to learn the secrets of her sister Erishkigal, goddess of the Underworld and sometimes considered to simply be Inanna's darker half (similar to Nephthys and Isis). To reach the Underworld, she had to pass through several gates, and at each she had to shed piece of jewelry or garment, until she was naked. Erishkigal then decreed that no one ever left the Underworld, struck down her sister, and hung her corpse on a hook. Back in the land of the living, her servant Ninshubur appeals to Inanna's father Enki, who has Inanna returned to life. However, the balance of souls in the Underworld had to remain equal, so she was forced to chose someone to take her place in the Underworld. She bypasses family and her faithful servant and seizes Dumuzi, he husband. Later, she regrets this choice and attempts to secure his release. In the end, Dumuzi becomes a Sumerian Persephone, spending half the year in the Underworld, and half with Inanna, during which time his sister Gestinanna takes his place in the Underworld.

Inanna's descent teaches us to face our fears and challenge mysteries, and those facing adversity call upon her. Knowledge is power, but the price for such can be very high. She also teaches us that in our darkest hours, we will have only ourselves to depend on. Whatever other mortal trappings we may possess, such as money and power, ultimately mean nothing. And to face the darkest mysteries, we must strip ourselves down to nothing and expose our innermost centers to scrutiny, for it is in the truth of ourselves that we hold true power.

Queen of Heaven - Associated with the moon and especially the stars. Her symbol is the 8-pointed star.

Goddess of Fertility - During Inanna's time in the Underworld, no plants grew and no animals mated. Likewise, while Dumuzi is away, winter settles over the earth.

Goddess of Sovereignty - Inanna chooses who will rule the land. Just as she took Dumuzi as her king, her favor was afterward conferred by her high priestess through intercourse with the crowned king.

Goddess of Women - Inanna is associated with everything feminine, from human women to the creative forces of nature. Her fierce independence also makes her a popular figure.

Queen of the Morning Star - With this title she is the Sumerian war goddess.

Queen of the Evening Star - With this title she is the goddess of love, although maybe not in the modern sense. Hers was generally not an enduring, kindly love but instead of brief burst of passion followed by tragedy on the part of the man. Gilgamesh rebuked her attempts at seduction because he knew she always discards men in the end.

Goddess of Civilization - Enki is the god of wisdom, and he had in his possession the Tablets of Destiny, which were the implements of civilization. Inanna paid him a visit one night, and he drunkenly promised her anything she asked. She demanded the Tablets and 100 other objects of culture, which she promptly delivered to primitive man.