#sumerian deity

[thescarlettbitch]

Every day devotion

These are simple acts of devotion that I do, as a devotee of Inanna (goddess of sex and war). I always try to at least do one act of devotion a day. I have a lot of issues that Inanna (and Lady Ereshkigal) are helping me through.

Say goodmorning/goodnight - whether it is right when I wake up or an hour or say later, right before I close my eyes or right before I do my nightly doomscroll, I try to say goodmorning and goodnight every day.

Washing my face - I try to turn things I know are good for me into devotional acts so I will want to do them. I usually only have the time and energy to wash my face once a day, but even so, it's still something.

Listen to music with her - usually done on my way to or from work, I will play her playlist, or another one, but invite her to listen with me, and I almost always feel her presence. If I get the feeling she doesn't like a song, my car radio screws it up and repeatedly pauses it until I change the song.

Drinking water - water is a necessity in life, and access to clean, cold, safe water to drink is a luxury that people who originally worked with her didn't have access to the way I do.

Eating food - I've made a post before about how Inanna is sad when I don't eat if I'm hungry, so if I was feeling her presence I will devote the act of eating to her.

Wearing jewelry - I have a lapis lazuli necklace I wear for her every day. It's simple, I got it off of etsy, but you could easily dedicate anything you have to them. I've had a (locally and ethically sourced) coyote Claw bracelet for a few years now and I am thinking wearing it for Lady Ereshkigal.

Veiling - I don't veil every day, I used to but it ended up causing me issues with my hair. Currently I veil about once a week, but it is something small that can fairly easily be done every day

Libation - libations are the act of pouring a liquid directly onto the earth, and it can be done with anything from tap water to top shelf Whiskey. If you have the means to pour out $100+ of liquor you go right ahead, I will continue giving my goddess(es) the first like ounce/ounce and a half of my daily coffee from my local shop. Or, if there is anything I try and do not like, they get the rest of it. Some people might think it rude to give them things you don't like, but I don't. If it doesn't go towards my gods it's getting thrown away, and that doesn't sit right with me. It's not getting drank by me so it might as well go to them.

Reading/writing/playing video games - I read a lot and I have a couple books I'm writing, one of which is specifically dedicated to Inanna. And I recently built a temple to her in the Sims 4, so whenever I feel like dedicating the time to her, I play in that save.

[sag-dab-sar]

☀️🌷 Emesh 2025 ☀️🌷

Celebrated March 28, 2025

Happy Spring Equinox!

Gods on Altar: Inana, Dumuzid (black beads), Ĝeštinana (white beads)

Here is the full altar set up pre-ritual on the actual Spring Equinox — Link

I gave praise prayer to Inana, a prayer of joy for Dumuzid, and a lament for Ĝeštinana. I supplicated for global food security. Did readings for foundation of Emesh, one for Inana & Dumuzid's initial marriage, and one for their reunion. I played a recording of historical-informed Spring & Summer by Vivaldi. A libation was poured out for Dumuzid & Ĝeštinana separately as one is ascending and one is descending. The food offering was cut peaches. Dumuzid's black beads were placed on Inana his wife and will stay for the duration of Spring/Summer. Ĝeštinana's white beads are on Gugal-ana, My Queen Ereškigal's husband for now. It seemed the most appropriate place. The beads will switch at the Fall Equinox— Enten (Winter).

This is a modern ritual celebrating the arrival of Emesh (Sumerian Summer). There were historical festivals of Dumuzid's dying cult but I have found nothing I could use as a basis. [Edit: within Mesopotamian proper there seems to be no evidence of any "rising" cult based on Ayali-Darshan Noga, so this is fully based on Inana's descent]

•Literature used

All literature is altered to remove missing pieces or to fill them in with logical conclusions

Inana’s Descent ETCSL 1.4.1 Line 403-410

Disputation between Summer and Winter, with the seasons swapped ETCSL 5.3.3

A Babble to Inana ETCSL 4.07.1

Dumuzid’s Wedding as found in The Harps That Once by Thorkild

Hymn to Inanna as Warrior, Star, and Bride, found in The Harps That Once by Thorkild

•Original Writing

Praise for the Return of Dumuzid — Link

Lamentation for Ĝeštinana — Link

Emesh Prayer for Global Food Security — Link

•Music

The Spring & Summer historical informed performance of Vivaldi that I used — Link

•Information

I localized this practice to celebrate my Spring/Summer and the arrival of Dumuzid because Spring/Summer is the planting and growing season in my region. Unlike Sumer which was the exact opposite; Dumuzid would die at this time in their climate and agriculture cycle. I did ask the Diĝirene in ritual to allow me to swap them.

Localizing Practice — Link.

[mirkokosmos]

Marduk

[inannadevote]

Thou Who Lights  Life

sesluminates

In Your eyes burn the fire which warms, guides and inspires,

Which illuminates the path of those who call for Thee,

Which makes life intense and warm.

Holy Inanna, Thou light the wishes and desires.

.

There’s confort and power in Thy voice,

Which pleases, guides and advises.

Thy voice is just and lovely, but in Your wrath dreadful.

Sweet is the sound which inspires and motivates.

Holy Inanna, Thy voice lights people’s heart.

.

In Your body there’s pleasure and infinite beauty,

Which inspire, charm and seduce.

Which nourish life and everything there’s to bloom and rise,

Thou art life, love and power.

Holy Inanna, Thou art life, love and power.

.

There’s love in Your presence,

Galore, freedom and passion.

Your will is absolute, Your mien is unique and powerful.

Great is The Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Holy Inanna, Thou art the one who ascends life.

[thescarlettbitch]

Sources

A good deal of my posts are research driven, and it's rather difficult to find sources, so I figured I would make a whole post dedicated to listing them. This will get added to as I find more.

General information

First and foremost, Wikipedia - unlearn what your middle and high school teachers taught you, Wikipedia is a free source that is highly edited and reviewed by professionals and it lists their sources. (Also they are fighting to keep the site up, support them if you can) Should it be your only source of information? Hell no. But it will give you more information than you had before. It's a great starting point. It also lists its sources at the bottom of each page!

World History Encyclopedia

The Collector

Britannica - this site now has a chatbot feature that it didn't before. Do with that what you will.

The Open Richly Annotated Cunieform Corpus - I haven't delved deep on this source, but I don't want to lose it.

The Electronic Text Corpus Of Sumerian Literature

Mifologia - this one I am unsure about, it seems to be accurate as far as I can tell, but the images they use strike me as AI (I have no proof other than a vibe so correct me if I'm wrong) which is a red flag.

Specific Mythos

The Descent of Inanna PDF

The Epic of Gilgamesh PDF

Inanna and Su-Kale-Tuda

Inanna and the Huluupu Tree

A breakdown of Inanna Prefers The Farmer

Inanna Prefers The Farmer

Dumuzid and Emkidu

Ereshkigal and Nergal

Enuma Elish PDF

Atra-Hasis PDF

Hymn to Inanna from her Priestess

Additional information on the above Hymn

More to come!

Folklore

Folklife - this is an article on Appalachian folk practicioners, with information on different books and websites.

Holy Stones and Iron Bones - a digitalized grimoire of Appalachian Folk history and practices.

Research Papers

University of Chicago Press, Ancient Mesopotamia, Copywrite 1964

University of Cambridge dept of archeology, Ancient Mesopotamia

[thescarlettbitch]

What animal is associated with inanna?

Most commonly she is associated with lions, doves, and owls.

She is depicted often standing atop harnessed lions, showing her control and her power of the king of beasts.

They showed up in her temples, the following is an image of a lion guarding the gates to to her temple in Babylon

I cannot find images of her depiction with doves, but many sources say there are certain reliefs that seem to infer that she could take the form of a dove. She reigned over the planet Venus, and doves are associated with love.

The only depiction I can find with owls is that of the Burney Relief, a sculpture unknown of it is Inanna or her sister Lady Ereshkigal, but many modern depictions show her with owls as well.

[sag-dab-sar]

Localizing A Practice

Celebrating Planting & Harvesting

In Mesopotamia there were two seasons Summer (Emesh) and Winter (Enten). In the climate of Mesopotamia winter was the wet seasons that brought life giving water to dikes and canals and allowed for the planting and growing season culminating in a harvest at the beginning of Summer — March.

...a search was undertaken of references to barley harvest dates in the ‘literature’ (clay tablets) of ancient Babylonia comprising two periods: 1800-1650 B.C. (Late Old Babylonian Period = L.O.B.P.) and 600-400 B.C. (Neo-Babylonian Period = N.B.P.). It turns out that in the former, the harvest began late in March or early in April, while in the latter, it began late in April or in May, amounting to a difference of about a month or slightly more. [1]

Dumuzid was believed to die as the harvest arrived because his job of helping things grow ends; his death marked the end of rainy planting/growing season of winter and transitioned into the harvest before the dry hot scorching summer set in fully. For this reason Enlil awards winter the 'better season', because its the one that brings water. [2]

In the region I live in—Massachusetts— spring is the wettest season; our growing season is very small due to frost dates. Planting takes place in spring to early summer, and harvesting happens in later summer and fall [3]. Leaving winter as the primary barren period. In a modern world there is basically planting and harvesting all year round since we have access to global seeds year round and indoor planting but I easily recognize which stuff is "in season" even if it's still available year round for me. Simply because stuff tastes so much better during its local harvesting period.

For my diet technically corn and rice are the two main important staples. In MA planting for rice is around April with harvest around October [4]. Corn is planted April-ish and harvested around July to October [5] (July & August have the best corn IMO). Most of the products I eat don't come locally because almost all gluten free substitutes use corn or rice thus it is in most products I eat regardless of growing location and climate. But knowing the local times is informative & meaningful at least.

If Dumuzid lives specifically for planting and dies specifically for harvesting, it would make a bit more sense to have him live at Spring/Early Summer and die in Late Summer/Fall in my Massachusetts living area.

I would basically have to switch which season Dumuzid lives in, in my area he lives in "Summer" Emesh (Spring & Early Summer) for planting and dies in "Winter" Enten (Late Summer & Fall) for harvesting. A 180° from his usual worship in ancient times and the climate he was worshipped in.

But I think localizing this practice makes more sense as a revivalist— it fits the meaning of his worship rather than just reconstructing the timing based on a climate I don't live in.

I'll also be using just the equinox dates for this modern timing/modern festival ("modern festival" since I don't know enough about ancient Dumuzid festivals to incorporate anything yet), rather than the lunisolar dates, since those dates match up with the Akiti festivals.

-Dyslexic not audio proof read & written during migraine-

🔹Sources

[1] Harvest dates in ancient mesopotamia as possible indicators of climatic variations by Neumann & Sigrist LINK

[2] Debate Between Winter & Summer Myth ETCSL LINK

[3] Massachusetts Planting/Harvesting Vegetables LINK, LINK

[4] LINK

[5] LINK

[thescarlettbitch]

Grabbed a pomegranate for Lady Ereshkigal today at the store and when I turned onto the highway I realized I didn't yet have a specific offering dish for her, and started worrying about how I was going to give it to her properly.

Only to be interrupted mid panic with an image flashing in my mind of a brand new still in the plastic glass candle holder I bought literally years ago and never used, and the exact place that it was in my room. Again, hadn't seen the thing in years.

Lady Ereshkigal now has an offering dish.