⭐ Ishtar

Attributes & Domains

Mythology & Stories

Ishtar inherited characteristics from the Sumerian goddess Inanna, becoming the most prominent female deity in the Babylonian pantheon. Her myths emphasize her independence, fierce sexuality, and refusal to submit to male authority.

Key Myths:

• Descent to the Underworld: Ishtar descended to the underworld realm of her sister Ereshkigal, ostensibly to attend the funeral of Ereshkigal's husband. At each of the seven gates, she was forced to remove one adornment until she stood naked and powerless. Ereshkigal struck her dead and hung her corpse on a hook. Above, the world withered without Ishtar's fertility. The gods sent a messenger to rescue her, but the law demanded a substitute. Her consort Tammuz took her place, creating the cycle of seasons - when Tammuz is in the underworld (winter), Ishtar mourns; when he returns (spring), fertility blooms.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh - Rejection: After Gilgamesh slew Humbaba, Ishtar propositioned him, offering to be his lover. Gilgamesh refused, listing her previous lovers whom she destroyed or transformed: the shepherd turned into a wolf, the gardener turned into a frog. Enraged by this rejection, Ishtar demanded the Bull of Heaven from her father Anu to destroy Gilgamesh. Though the bull ravaged Uruk, Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed it. Gilgamesh threw the bull's thigh at Ishtar in contempt, sealing the gods' decision that Enkidu must die for this sacrilege.
• Ishtar and the Divine Me: Like her Sumerian counterpart, Ishtar visited her father Enki (Ea) and, through seduction and wine, acquired the me (divine powers governing civilization). These included kingship, priesthood, sexual practices, warfare, and crafts. When Enki sobered and realized what he'd given away, it was too late - Ishtar had brought the me to her city Uruk, establishing her power over essential aspects of civilization.

📜 Primary Sources - Cuneiform Texts

Ishtar appears in ancient Babylonian/Akkadian cuneiform texts. Search the ORACC corpus to explore original texts in transliteration and translation.

Major texts include: Descent of Ishtar, Epic of Gilgamesh, hymns and prayers to Ishtar

Relationships

Family

• Parents: Sin (moon god) and Ningal
• Consort(s): Tammuz (Dumuzi) - dying-and-rising vegetation god; various mortal lovers and kings
• Children: Variable in myths; sometimes none, emphasizing her independence
• Siblings: Shamash (sun god), Ereshkigal (underworld queen)

Allies & Enemies

• Allies: Varies; she acts independently. Sometimes allied with Marduk, sometimes with kings she favors
• Enemies: Those who reject or insult her (Gilgamesh); Ereshkigal (complex relationship of opposition and kinship)

Worship & Rituals

Sacred Sites

Ishtar's primary cult center was Uruk, where the massive temple Eanna ("House of Heaven") served as her dwelling. Her worship was also prominent in Babylon, Nineveh, and Arbela. The Ishtar Gate of Babylon, decorated with her sacred bulls and dragons in brilliant blue glazed brick, stood as one of the ancient world's wonders. Sacred prostitution may have been practiced at her temples, with sexual acts serving as worship to the goddess of sexuality.

Festivals

• Sacred Marriage Ritual: Annual ceremony where the king ritually married Ishtar (represented by her high priestess) to ensure the land's fertility. This hieros gamos (sacred marriage) renewed cosmic order and agricultural abundance through divine-human union.
• Akitu Participation: During the New Year festival, Ishtar played a crucial role, representing the divine feminine that complements Marduk's masculine kingship.

Offerings

Offerings to Ishtar included incense (especially cedar and juniper), wine, honey cakes, roses and myrtle, and animals (doves, sheep). Warriors offered her captured weapons and armor after victory. Personal offerings often related to love and sexuality - prayers for successful unions, fertility, or reconciliation. Her priestesses received offerings in exchange for temple services including divination and sacred sexuality.

Prayers & Invocations

Ishtar was invoked for matters of love, war, and political power. Lovers sought her blessing for passion and fertility. Warriors called upon her before battle for ferocity and victory. Kings invoked her as legitimizer of their rule. Typical invocation: "O Ishtar, foremost among goddesses, brilliant one who rises in the heavens, torch of heaven and earth, grant me your favor!" Her dual nature meant she could grant both blessing and curse with equal intensity.

Sacred Prostitution & Gender Fluidity

Ishtar's cult included individuals who transcended traditional gender categories. The assinnu, kurgarrû, and kulu'u were devotees who took on non-binary gender roles, sometimes castrated, who performed ecstatic dances and sang in Ishtar's honor. Ancient texts describe how Ishtar "turns men into women and women into men," suggesting her power over gender and sexuality extended beyond conventional boundaries. This made her both patron of heterosexual love and sacred protector of those who existed outside binary gender norms.