Which Ancient Mesopotamian Celebration Is Connected To The Descent Of Ishtar?

The Saggutu Festival, a summer festival associated with Ishtar’s descent into the underworld, symbolizes the cycle of death and rebirth in Mesopotamian religion. Ishtar, also known as Inanna in Sumerian sources, is a primary Mesopotamian goddess closely associated with love and war. She is the first known deity for which we have written evidence. In a myth called “The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld”, the fertility goddess visits kur-nu-gi-a, where the dead live in darkness, eat clay, and are clothed like birds with wings.

Inanna’s most famous myth is her descent into and return from the ancient Mesopotamian underworld, ruled by her older sister Ereshkigal. After reaching Ereshkigal’s throne room, the seven judges of the underworld deem her. The Sumerian poem, The Descent of Inanna, chronicles the journey of Inanna, the great goddess and Queen of Heaven, from her realm in the sky to earth.

Ishtar, also known as Ištar, is among the most important deities and the most important goddess in the Mesopotamian pantheon. She is primarily known as the Queen of Heaven by the people of ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). The Akitu Festival, which has its origins in the Sumerian civilization, was later adopted and elaborated by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and other cultures.

Ishtar, an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, fertility, and sex, is featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the “Ishtar Gate” was a significant symbol of her. The most highly venerated deity in Ancient Mesopotamia was Inanna, who was also known as Ishtar after the two were merged.

Where was Ishtar worshiped?

Ishtar, a deity in the Upper Mesopotamian kingdom of Assyria, was a popular deity among women during the reign of Assurbanipal, surpassing even the Assyrian national god Ashur. She was also associated with individuals who went against the gender binary, such as gala, who performed elegies and lamentations in Ishtar’s temples. Some Sumerian proverbs suggest that gala had a reputation for engaging in anal sex with men.

During the Akkadian Period, kurgarrū and assinnu were servants of Ishtar who dressed in female clothing and performed war dances in Ishtar’s temples. Some Akkadian proverbs suggest they may have had homosexual proclivities. In one Akkadian hymn, Ishtar is described as transforming men into women.

Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, it was widely believed that the cult of Inanna involved a “sacred marriage” ritual, where a king would establish his legitimacy by taking on the role of Dumuzid and engaging in ritual sexual intercourse with the high priestess of Inanna, who took on the role of the goddess. However, this view has been challenged, and scholars continue to debate whether the sacred marriage involved physical ritual enactment or merely symbolic representation of intercourse. Most scholars now maintain that if the sacred marriage was a ritual that was actually acted out, it involved only symbolic intercourse.

Is Ishtar and Isis the same?

Ishtar, also known as Ashtart, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Inanna, and Isis, was the goddess of love and war in Assyria and Babylonia. She was closely associated with the Sumerian goddess Inanna and was believed to be the daughter of Anu, the sky god, and Antum, an earth goddess. Ishtar’s primary consort was Tammuz, a young shepherd who was also her son. The ancient city of Babylon, located in modern Iraq, was a significant site of Ishtar worship. In Mesopotamian religion, Shamash, the god of the sun, was part of an astral triad with his father Sin and the goddess Ishtar.

Shamash was the heroic conqueror of night and death, known as the god of justice and equity. He was believed to have presented the Code of Hammurabi to the Babylonian king and served as the judge of the underworld at night.

Is Easter associated with Ishtar?

St. Bede posits that the origin of Easter may not be Ishtar, as is commonly believed, but rather the spring festival of Eostre, which was celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons and Germanic peoples.

Where does Ishtar appear?

The ancient sources for Ishtar are fragmentary, incomplete, and difficult to contextualize, despite the goddess’s elevated status and enduring influence in the ancient world. The goddess is best known for her appearance in two famous Mesopotamian myths: the Epic of Gilgamesh and Ishtar’s Descent to the Netherworld. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world’s earliest known works of epic literature, surviving in numerous versions. In the Standard Babylonian Version, Ishtar appears most prominently in Tablet VI.

In this text, Gilgamesh is described bathing and cleaning his weapons after battle with the Forest Guardian, Humbaba. Ishtar sees the young king’s beauty and covetously proposes marriage, offering inducements to sweeten the deal. Gilgamesh, however, does not want to marry Ishtar and rejects her in harsh terms. He compares the goddess to a drafty back door, a faulty battering ram, and a shoe that bites its owner’s feet, which may be viewed as ominous in ancient divination.

What is the descent of Ishtar?

This Akkadian poem tells the story of Ishtar, a goddess of love, fertility, and war, falling into the Netherworld and her resurrection. She passes through seven gates, each requiring her to relinquish a garment or piece of jewelry. The queen Ereshkigal, the queen of the Netherworld, refuses to let Ishtar leave this land of no return. With the intervention of the god Ea, Ereshkigal allows Ishtar to leave on the condition that she finds a replacement in the Netherworld, which Ishtar finds in her husband Dumuzi. At each gate, the gatekeeper restores her clothing and finery.

The poem is related to an earlier Sumerian poem that tells of the descent of Inana to the Netherworld in a more elaborate account. The Akkadian version of the story omits much of the detail that appears in the Sumerian work. B. Foster’s analysis of Late Akkadian literature provides a window onto the context for the abbreviated character of the later poem. The myth may have also served to explain the periodic disappearance and reappearance in the evening sky of Venus, with which Ishtar is associated.

What is the name of the ancient festival?

Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday honoring the god Saturn, celebrated on 17 December of the Julian calendar and extended through 19 December. By the 1st century B. C., the celebration had been extended through 23 December, resulting in seven days of festivities. The holiday featured a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, a public banquet, private gift-giving, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms. Gambling was allowed, and masters provided table service for their slaves.

A common custom was the election of a “King of the Saturnalia”, who gave orders to people and presided over the merrymaking. Gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria. Saturnalia was the Roman equivalent to the Greek holiday of Kronia, celebrated during the Attic month of Hekatombaion in late midsummer. Some Romans saw Saturnalia as a restoration of the ancient Golden Age, when the world was ruled by Saturn.

The Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry interpreted the freedom associated with Saturnalia as symbolizing the “freeing of souls into immortality”. Saturnalia may have influenced some of the customs associated with later celebrations in western Europe, particularly Christmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and Epiphany.

What is the ritual of Ishtar?

The Old Babylonian Mari ritual for Ishtar involves a spectacle of running, wrestling, and dancing, with the Balag prayer known as Uruamairabi accompanied by sung performances. This “multimedia” event has an emotional impact on the goddess for whom it was performed, as well as on the ritual participants and their audience. The relationship between word and action in this ritual performance may seem incongruous, but a better understanding of the entire experience can provide a deeper understanding of the ritual.

What was the ancient Babylonian festival called?

Akitu is an ancient Babylonian New Year’s festival celebrated to honor the supreme god Marduk, his crown prince Nabû, and other gods. It was first celebrated in the third millennium BCE by the Sumerian population of southern Mesopotamia in the third millennium BCE. The festival took place in March/April, the first month of the Babylonian year, and was known as the “beginning of the year”. The festival was held in two locations in Babylon: the temple of Marduk, the Esagila, and the “house of the New Year”. The gods at the center of the festival were Nabû and his father, the supreme god Marduk, who was often called “Bêl” (Lord) due to his holy name.

On 4 Nisannu, the high priest of the Esagila (šešgallu) opened the festival, signaling the start of a week-long holiday. The king then visited the temple of Nabû and spent the night in Borsippa, a city 17 kilometers downstream from Babylon, where he recited the Babylonian creation epic in the house of the New Year.

What goddess is celebrated on Easter?

Easter, a pagan holiday, originated from the goddess of fertility and spring, Ostara, known as ‘Eostre’. The word ‘Easter’ comes from the goddess’s name, and the origin of the Easter Bunny, hares, and eggs can be traced back to the 13th century in Germany. The rabbit became a symbol for Eostra due to its prolific breeding tendencies, while eggs were used as fertility symbols since antiquity. The Easter Hare, originally a judge among German Lutherans, would bring baskets filled with candy, chocolate, and colored eggs for children.

In A. D. 325, Emperor Constantine, who favored Christianity, convened a meeting of Christian leaders, which recognized Christ as “fully human and fully divine”. Since then, Easter has become more meaningful and sacred for Christianity. Easter Sunday is a major Christian holiday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death. It confirms that Jesus’ death was a sacrifice for the sins of others, but his resurrection represents the potential for rebirth, salvation, and renewal of faith.

Easter celebrations are preceded by Lent, the Easter Vigil, and confession, providing Christians with an opportunity to recommit to their beliefs after a season of shedding bad habits and resisting temptations.

What is Ishtar associated with?

Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven in ancient Mesopotamia, was a significant female deity with many aspects shared with the Sumerian goddess Inanna. She is a multifaceted goddess who takes three paramount forms: the goddess of love, fertility, war, and celestial, represented by the planet Venus. Ishtar’s most well-known myth is about choosing a young shepherd, Dumuzi, as her lover, and they became married through the ritual called “Sacred Marriage”. Dumuzi died, and Ishtar/Inanna sacrificed him to leave the underworld, where he returned to the world, while his sister took his place in the underworld.

Ishtar is described as taking many lovers, with the Epic of Gilgamesh describing the grim fates of her other lovers. In other myths, Ishtar controls thunderstorms and rains, wages war in the divine world, and steals the me from the god Enki. These divine powers, properties, or principles enable the continuation of order, institutions, and organized civilization. Thorkild Jacobson in The Treasures of Darkness calls Ishtar’s possession of these powers “infinite variety” as a goddess.

What were the festivals in Mesopotamia?

Festivals in ancient Mesopotamia honored the patron deity of a city-state or the primary god of the city that controlled a region or empire. The earliest festival, the Akitu festival, was first observed in Sumer in the Early Dynastic Period (2900-2334 BCE) and continued through the Seleucid Period (312-63 BCE). Festivals also served a political purpose, uniting a king’s subjects in honoring his god and legitimizing his rule through a public demonstration of the patron god’s approval of his reign.

Festivals were celebrated throughout the year for various reasons, including New Year, gods’ birthdays and incidents, ceremonial mourning, memorable events, sowing and reaping, a monarch’s coronation, birth of royal children, and completion and dedication of a palace, temple, or city.