This is one of the most famous and complete myths from Sumerian literature. It tells the story of the goddess Inanna (known as Ishtar in later Akkadian and Babylonian texts), the queen of heaven and earth, goddess of love, beauty, sex, justice, and political power, who resolves to descend into the Kur, the Sumerian underworld, also known as the "Great Below." The reason for her descent is not explicitly stated and has been debated by scholars, but it is a perilous journey from which few return.
Before her journey, Inanna gives instructions to her loyal minister, Ninshubur. She tells Ninshubur that if she does not return within three days and three nights, she should go to the great gods Enlil, Nanna, and ultimately Enki, to plead for their help in rescuing her.
Inanna then proceeds to the outer gate of the underworld. At each of the seven gates, she is required to remove one of her garments or pieces of jewelry by the gatekeeper, Neti, at the command of the queen of the underworld, Ereshkigal – who is also Inanna's older sister. With each item removed, Inanna loses a portion of her power and status.
By the time she reaches the throne room of Ereshkigal, Inanna is naked and powerless. The Anunna, the seven judges of the underworld, pass judgment against her. Ereshkigal fixes her eye upon Inanna – the eye of death – and speaks a word against her – the word of wrath – and shouts a cry against her – the cry of damnation. Inanna is turned into a corpse and hung on a hook.
After three days and three nights, Ninshubur, following Inanna's instructions, goes to the gods. Enlil and Nanna refuse to help, stating that Inanna's ambition led her to the underworld. However, Enki, the god of wisdom and water, laments Inanna's fate. He creates two androgynous beings, Kurgarra and Galatur, from the dirt under his fingernails. He gives them the food of life and the water of life and instructs them to go to the underworld.
Kurgarra and Galatur gain entry to the underworld by empathizing with Ereshkigal, who is groaning in the pains of childbirth (a detail adding to the grim nature of the underworld where even the queen suffers). When Ereshkigal offers them a gift, they request Inanna's corpse. They sprinkle the food and water of life upon Inanna's body, and she is revived.
However, Inanna cannot leave the underworld unaccompanied. She is followed by a band of Galla demons, who are tasked with ensuring that a substitute is found to take her place. The Galla try to take Ninshubur, but Inanna prevents it because of Ninshubur's loyal mourning. They also attempt to take Inanna's sons, but she again protects them. Finally, they come upon Inanna's husband, Dumuzid, who is found feasting and not mourning her. Enraged by his lack of respect, Inanna allows the Galla to seize Dumuzid as her substitute. The myth concludes with the eventual arrangement where Dumuzid spends half the year in the underworld, and his sister Geshtinanna spends the other half, explaining the cycle of seasons.
The me (pronounced "meh") is a fundamental concept in Sumerian mythology, representing the divine decrees, powers, offices, and norms that are the foundation of Sumerian civilization, culture, and cosmic order. They are often described as tangible objects or essences that can be held, given, or taken. The me govern various aspects of human society, technology, rituals, ethics, and the natural world. They essentially encapsulate the established ways of the universe as ordained by the gods.
The concept of the me is most famously elaborated in the myth of "Inanna and Enki," where Inanna travels to Eridu, the city of the god Enki, and tricks the drunk Enki into giving her numerous me. She then brings these me back to her city, Uruk, thus establishing Uruk as a center of civilization. The "theft" of the me is central to this myth, not to Inanna's Descent, although Inanna possesses certain me that represent her divine powers which are stripped away during her descent.
This list is not exhaustive and the exact meaning or function of some me are still debated by scholars.
Here are a few excerpts from translations of the myth "Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld" from the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), which is a highly respected source for these texts:
From the great heaven she set her mind on the great below.
From the great heaven the goddess set her mind on the great below.
From the great heaven Inana set her mind on the great below.
My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld.
She took the seven divine powers.
She collected the divine powers and grasped them in her hand.
With the good divine powers, she went on her way.
She put a turban, headgear for the open country, on her head.
She took a wig for her forehead.
She hung small lapis lazuli beads from her neck.
She placed twin egg-shaped beads on her breast.
She took the gold ring from her hand.
She placed the lapis lazuli measuring-rod and line on her hand.
She fastened the "Come, man, come" garment about her body.
She painted her eyelids with the "facing of the eye" ointment.
"Come, Neti, my chief doorman of the underworld, don\'t neglect the instructions I will give you.
Let the seven gates of the underworld be bolted.
Then let each door of the palace Ganzer be opened separately.
As for her, after she has entered, and crouched down and had her clothes removed, they will be carried away."
When she entered the first gate, the great crown was removed from her head.
"What is this?"
"Be satisfied, Inana, a divine power of the underworld has been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth against the rites of the underworld."
(This exchange is repeated for each item removed at each gate).
"O father Enlil, don\'t let anyone kill your daughter in the underworld.
Don\'t let your precious metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld.
Don\'t let your precious lapis lazuli be split there with the mason\'s stone.
Don\'t let your boxwood be chopped up there with the carpenter\'s wood.
Don\'t let young lady Inana be killed in the underworld."
"Enki, the lord of great wisdom, knows about the life-giving plant and the life-giving water. He is the one who will restore me to life."
...
He brought from his clean fingernails the dirt, and formed a kurgarra, and a galatur.
To the kurgarra he gave the food of life, to the galatur he gave the water of life.
He said to the kurgarra and the galatur: "Go now to the underworld, to the palace Ganzer.
The sick woman is lying there, the sick woman, my daughter Erec-ki-gala.
Her cry is the cry of a woman about to give birth..."
Inana looked at him, it was the look of death.
She spoke out against him, it was the speech of anger.
She shouted against him, it was the cry of damnation:
"Take him! Take Dumuzid away!"
These texts provide a window into the rich and complex mythology of ancient Sumer, revealing their beliefs about the divine, the structure of the cosmos, and the fundamental principles that governed their world.