Descent of Ishtar

Descent of Ishtar is a major Akkadian mythological text from Ancient Babylon that recounts the goddess Ishtar's journey to the underworld, known as Kur or Irkalla. The narrative is a foundational myth within the Babylonian religious canon, exploring themes of death, fertility, and divine power. Its preservation in the Library of Ashurbanipal has made it a critical source for understanding Mesopotamian mythology and the role of one of its most prominent deities.

Mythological Context and Sources

The myth of the Descent of Ishtar is deeply embedded in the religious and literary traditions of Mesopotamia. It is part of a broader corpus of cuneiform texts that define the cosmological and theological worldview of the Akkadian and Babylonian civilizations. The primary surviving version of the text comes from the Neo-Assyrian period, discovered among the clay tablets of the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. This version is written in the Akkadian language, the lingua franca of diplomacy and literature in the region during the Old Babylonian period and later.

The story is a direct parallel and likely adaptation of an earlier Sumerian myth, the Descent of Inanna, which features the Sumerian goddess Inanna. The Babylonian version substitutes Inanna with Ishtar, her Akkadian counterpart, and makes specific alterations to align with Babylonian theological concepts. Other key textual witnesses and related themes can be found in fragments from other Mesopotamian sites, such as Uruk and Nippur, indicating the myth's wide dissemination. The narrative is often studied alongside other major Babylonian works like the Enūma Eliš and the Epic of Gilgamesh, the latter of which references Ishtar's temperament and power.

Narrative of the Descent

The narrative begins with the goddess Ishtar, the deity of love, war, and fertility, deciding to descend to the underworld, the domain of her sister, the goddess Ereshkigal. Ishtar's motives are often interpreted as a quest for power or a challenge to the authority of the netherworld. As she approaches the gates of Kur, she is confronted by the gatekeeper, Neti, and must pass through seven gates, at each of which she is compelled to remove an article of her clothing and regalia, symbolically stripping her of her divine power and identity.

Upon entering Ereshkigal's throne room naked and powerless, Ishtar is judged by the Anunnaki, the judges of the underworld. Ereshkigal afflicts her with sixty diseases and hangs her corpse on a hook. With Ishtar trapped in the underworld, all sexual activity and fertility cease on earth, causing a crisis among both gods and humans. The god Ea (Enki in Sumerian tradition), the god of wisdom and water, devises a plan to rescue her. He creates a asexual being named Asu-shu-namir to trick Ereshkigal.

Asu-shu-namir successfully charms Ereshkigal, who then grants a wish. The being requests the waters of life, which are used to revive Ishtar. Ishtar is then led back through the seven gates, receiving her garments and attributes at each one. However, a condition of her release is that she must provide a substitute to take her place in the underworld. Upon her return, she finds her consort, the shepherd-god Dumuzid (Tammuz), not mourning her but sitting in fine clothing. In her wrath, she selects him as her substitute. The myth concludes with the decree that Dumuzid will spend half the year in the underworld, and his sister Geshtinanna will take the other half, establishing the cycle of the seasons.

Significance in Babylonian Religion

The Descent of Ishtar held profound religious significance in Ancient Babylon, serving as an etiological myth that explained the natural world and reinforced social order. The cessation of fertility during Ishtar's imprisonment directly linked the goddess's presence and favor to agricultural prosperity and human reproduction. This made her cult, centered in cities like Uruk and later Babylon itself, central to the agrarian economy and the king's legitimacy, as he was often seen as an intermediary between the gods and the people.

The myth also articulated core theological concepts concerning death, the afterlife, and divine justice. The underworld was not a place of moral punishment but a dreary, inescapable realm ruled by immutable laws. Ishtar's temporary death and resurrection mirrored cyclical natural processes, offering a mythological framework for understanding decay and renewal. Furthermore, the story underscored the capricious and formidable nature of divine will, as demonstrated by Ishtar's wrath against Dumuzid. Annual rituals, such as lamentations for Tammuz, were directly tied to this myth, forming an integral part of the Babylonian calendar and culture, a and public worship.

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