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schomj's review
4.0
Profound, funny and horrifying in turn - and sometimes simultaneously. What more can one want from a myth cycle?
(I will admit that I kind of want to tag this "wondrous-vulva" though; that's a phrase I'll never forget!)
(I will admit that I kind of want to tag this "wondrous-vulva" though; that's a phrase I'll never forget!)
graywacke's review
5.0
Radiant Inanna, from an Akkadian cylindrical stone seal, 2334-2154 bce
39. Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth : Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer translated by Diane Wolkstein & Samuel Noah Kramer
Art compiled by Elizabeth Williams-Forte
Published: 1983. Original from various time periods, roughly 2000 bce.
format: 226 page paperback
acquired: borrowed from Library
read: June 24-26
rating: 5 stars
In the first days, in the very first days,Something special happened here. This is more than a translation of ancient literature. This is really an interpretation, a work of art, Diane Wolkstein's recreation. There is some kind synergy at play.
In the first nights, in the very first nights,
in the first years, in the very first years,
The source is, of course, the Cuneiform fragments found throughout the southern Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. The literary fragments, which include [b:The Epic of Gilgamesh|19351|The Epic of Gilgamesh|Anonymous|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388287904s/19351.jpg|3802528], the Babylonian [b:Enuma Elish: The Seven Tablets of the History of Creation|233420|Enuma Elish The Seven Tablets of the History of Creation|Anonymous|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348983657s/233420.jpg|2342851] and many other mythological elements also preserve, in pieces here and there, elements of the story of the goddess Inanna. She is known elsewhere as Ishtar and in the bible is referred to as Astarte, and her worship, there severely forbidden, to the Astarte poles.
Four stories about Inanna, and seven short hymns to her, are reconstructed. The Huluppu-Tree, where Inanna rescues the tree, then needs the help of Gilgamesh to get rid of it's pollutants, like (the biblical) Lilith, who built a home in her tree. Inanna and the God of Wisdom, where she gets drunk with Enki, the God of Wisdom, and then essentially steals all his wisdom, in the form of Me (pronounced like May). Enki sobers up, but can't recover his Me. Then, heavily sexual, is The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi (Dumuzi is biblical Tammuz). Finally is there is the three part story, The Descent of Inanna, where Inanna is drawn into the underworld. There, she is stripped of all possessions, all clothing and killed, or trapped in the underworld as a corpse. She is rescued, but must find a replacement. She eventually offers up Dumuzi.
The reconstruction of these stories from fragments was a major effort, and Samuel Noah Kramer played a large role in this. But what Wolkstein does is something different. She hashed over all the possible meanings, and then comes up with her own interpretation. So, the translation becomes an interpretation and her own creation. It's somehow raw, fundamental, and beautiful. It's exceptionally well done.
It's also very feminist. "Rejoicing at her wondrous vulva", Inanna is not an underling, ruled by a Zeus-like head god, but very much her own. She evolves in the stories from uncertainty, to a savvy sexual power, to a goddess affecting fertility and the seasons and, in many ways, the daily lives of her worshipers.
In her introduction, Wolkstein recreates a conversation with Kramer, providing some insight into how she approaches this work:
"In the first line of 'The Descent of Inanna,' 'From the Great Above she set her mind to the Great below,' what exactly does 'mind' mean?"(She ends up translating "From the Great Above she opened her ear to the Great Below")
"Ear," Kramer said.
"Ear?"
"Yes, the word for ear and wisdom in Sumerian are the same. But mind is what is meant."
"But—I could say 'ear'?"
"Well, you could."
"Is it opened her ear or set her ear?"
"Set. Set her ear, like a donkey that sets its ear at a particular sound."
As Kramer spoke, a shiver ran through me. When taken literally, the text announces the stories direction: From the Great Above the goddess opened (set) her ear, her receptor for wisdom, to the Great below.
meganzc's review
4.0
My therapist suggested I learn about the Sumerian goddess Innana, so I picked up this book. I'll let you, dear reader, determine why she might have thought it would do me good.
Inanna gets her great grandfather, the sky, so drunk that he offers her all the sacred elements of culture, loads them up in the boat of heaven, and then sees her off. When he sobers up, he regrets the decision, but it's too late: She's brought culture (everything from the truth to hairdos, from the tavern to justice, from the art of prostitution to the art of kindness) to the Sumerians, and it's theirs for keeps.
Somewhere along the way, she picks up the art of women and allure. Good thing, too, because her family is getting pretty pushy about bringing a bridegroom to that sacred bed Gilgamesh carved for her. She's got her eyes on the farmer, but her brother is insistent about this shepherd Dumuzi. She balks at first, but then falls hard for him. She and Dumuzi exchange some pretty hot banter:
"My untilled land lies fallow. Who will station the ox there?"
"I, Dumuzi, will plow your vulva."
"Then plow my vulva, man of my heart!"
But, don't worry, Dumuzi's "plowing" involves significant foreplay, even though at his lap "stood the rising cedar."
But as the old story goes, this early infatuation dissipates into day-to-day kingship and goddess stuff, and Inanna decides to go visit her sister, Ereshkigal, in the underworld. Turns out Ereshkigal hasn't loved being relegated to that dismal place, and she greets Inanna by murdering her and hanging her from a hook on the wall to become a piece of rotting meat.
With the help of her servant, her children, and her grandfather, the god of Wisdom, Inanna escapes, but she has to find someone to replace her. She decides to choose her ungrateful husband, Dumuzi, who's so caught up in being king that he doesn't even really notice her absence.
Will he make it out of the underworld?
You'll have to read the book to find out.
Or Google it.
Inanna gets her great grandfather, the sky, so drunk that he offers her all the sacred elements of culture, loads them up in the boat of heaven, and then sees her off. When he sobers up, he regrets the decision, but it's too late: She's brought culture (everything from the truth to hairdos, from the tavern to justice, from the art of prostitution to the art of kindness) to the Sumerians, and it's theirs for keeps.
Somewhere along the way, she picks up the art of women and allure. Good thing, too, because her family is getting pretty pushy about bringing a bridegroom to that sacred bed Gilgamesh carved for her. She's got her eyes on the farmer, but her brother is insistent about this shepherd Dumuzi. She balks at first, but then falls hard for him. She and Dumuzi exchange some pretty hot banter:
"My untilled land lies fallow. Who will station the ox there?"
"I, Dumuzi, will plow your vulva."
"Then plow my vulva, man of my heart!"
But, don't worry, Dumuzi's "plowing" involves significant foreplay, even though at his lap "stood the rising cedar."
But as the old story goes, this early infatuation dissipates into day-to-day kingship and goddess stuff, and Inanna decides to go visit her sister, Ereshkigal, in the underworld. Turns out Ereshkigal hasn't loved being relegated to that dismal place, and she greets Inanna by murdering her and hanging her from a hook on the wall to become a piece of rotting meat.
With the help of her servant, her children, and her grandfather, the god of Wisdom, Inanna escapes, but she has to find someone to replace her. She decides to choose her ungrateful husband, Dumuzi, who's so caught up in being king that he doesn't even really notice her absence.
Will he make it out of the underworld?
You'll have to read the book to find out.
Or Google it.
daaan's review
2.0
I found little to resonate here. I can see it's importance as a blueprint for some of our own religious beliefs, but it's packed with symbols that fail to hit home, some of which are lost to time.
readingthroughthelists's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This is my second semester teaching World Mythology, meaning it’s finally time for me to make the acquaintance of such classics as Inanna and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Despite the fact that these stories are nearly 5000 years old (let that sink in for a moment), I found the tales of Inanna to be powerful and relevant, with their focus on female power, sexuality, and empowerment. The evolving relationship between Inanna and Dumuzi is particularly interesting, and I loved the entire sequence of the Descent of Inanna to the underworld.
However, I hope to continue my studies on Inanna with newer and more updated scholarship. This edition is from 1983, and it shows. Wolkstein’s commentary is more poetic than academic and her insistence that everything is really a metaphor for sex feels dated.
5 stars for content, 3 for scholarship = 4 stars.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
5.0
The poetry is wonderful, but the interpretations at the end by Diane Wolkstein are amazing. This is an empowering look at an ancient religion where a goddess found power in herself and learned to accept and utilize her shadow-self. I'm so glad I bought this book!
meglovezhistory's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely Brilliant collection of Sumerian Myths involving The Goddess Inanna. Samuel Kramer is renowned in his field, for scholarly translations of Sumerian tablets. Five Stars .
ruthbeadle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
I really loved reading this book more the second time. The story of Inanna is so inspiring and cool to see a female goddess that ancient have her own story. The Descent of Inanna in particular was the point where I really got attached to the story. It is a good read if you are interested on the subject. The reading at face value is easy because of the form and repetition, but it becomes increasingly complex as you delve deeper into the ideas of the text
flowerparrish's review against another edition
4.0
Not a light read, and one I doubt I would have tackled outside of classes, but a good one nonetheless. Inanna, "the first goddess," is a powerful woman who I deeply respect. A fantastic Sumerian goddess worthy of worship, and a great historical read.
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