Table of Contents
Names
- Ishtar is the Akkadian name for the goddess
- Inanna is her Sumerian counterpart
Ishtar is a goddess from ancient Mesopotamia. People linked her with love, beauty, war and fertility. She was one of the most important gods of the region. Her place in its myths, religion and culture was central.
Key Aspects of Ishtar
Attributes and Symbols
Ishtar is a powerful figure. She holds opposites together, like love and war.
Her symbols tell you what she stood for. The lion stands for her fierce side in war. The eight-pointed star links her to the planet Venus.
Mythology
Her best-known myth is her descent into the Underworld. It is a story about death and rebirth.
She goes down to the realm of her sister, Ereshkigal. Ereshkigal is the goddess of the Underworld. Ishtar goes to attend a funeral, and she gets trapped. While she is gone, all fertility on Earth stops. It returns only when she is finally released.
She also had many lovers. One was the shepherd Tammuz, also called Dumuzi. He is tied to the yearly cycle of death and rebirth.
The goddess Ishtar has withheld the power of fertility. Crops do not grow. Women do not bear children.
Role in Society
People worshipped Ishtar as a goddess of fertility. Her cult held rituals to bring fertility and prosperity.
She was also a goddess of war. People called on her when conflict came.
Cultural Influence
Her influence reached past Mesopotamia. Neighboring cultures took parts of her myths and worship.
She has parallels in other goddesses. In Canaan she has a parallel in Astarte. In Greece she has a parallel in Aphrodite.
She appears in many myths. Historians and scholars of ancient religion still study her today.
