Inanna (Sumerian: IN.ANNA / NIN.ANNA — "Lady of Heaven")

Sumerian name: IN.ANNA / NIN.ANNA

Inanna (Sumerian: Inanna; Akkadian: Ishtar; "Lady of Heaven") was one of the most important and complex figures in the Mesopotamian pantheon — the goddess of love, beauty, sex, war, and political power. In Zecharia Sitchin's Anunnaki narrative, Inanna was a princess of the Anunnaki, the granddaughter of Enlil, and one of the most ambitious and controversial figures in the cosmic drama.

Role in the Anunnaki Hierarchy

Attribute	Detail
Father	Nannar (Sin, the Moon God)
Mother	Ningal
Grandfather	Enlil
Siblings	Utu (Shamash, the Sun God)
Consort	Dumuzi (Tammuz)
Domain	Uruk, the Evening Star (Venus)
Sacred Number	15
Symbol	The eight-pointed star, the lion, the reed bundle

Inanna was the primary goddess of Sumer and was later identified with the Akkadian Ishtar, the Phoenician Astarte, and the Greek Aphrodite.

Inanna's Character

Sitchin portrays Inanna as a willful, ambitious, and passionate figure:

1. The Ambitious Princess — Inanna constantly sought to expand her domain and influence, often challenging the authority of her elders
2. The Warrior Goddess — Despite her associations with love, Inanna was depicted as a fearsome warrior riding a lion
3. The Sacred Marriage — Inanna's marriage to Dumuzi was celebrated annually in a ritual that legitimized the king's rule
4. The Descent to the Underworld — Inanna's most famous myth involves her descent to the realm of her sister Ereshkigal, where she is humbled and nearly killed
5. The ME — Inanna acquired the ME (divine decrees of civilization) from Enki through a combination of seduction and cunning

Inanna's Acquisition of the ME

One of the key stories involving Inanna is her acquisition of the ME from Enki. While Enki was drunk at a feast, Inanna persuaded him to give her the ME — the divine principles that governed civilization, including kingship, priestly offices, crafts, music, and warfare. When Enki sobered and realized what he had done, he tried to retrieve them but failed.

"Inanna, the Lady of Heaven, took the ME. She brought them to Uruk, her city, and established civilization there."

The Descent of Inanna

Inanna's descent to the underworld is one of the most powerful narratives in ancient literature:

1. Inanna abandons her temples and descends to the underworld, ruled by her sister Ereshkigal
2. She passes through seven gates, losing an item of clothing at each gate
3. She appears before Ereshkigal "naked and bowed low"
4. Ereshkigal condemns her to death; her corpse is hung on a hook
5. Enki creates two beings who revive Inanna
6. Inanna must find a replacement — she chooses Dumuzi, who spends half the year in the underworld

Cuneiform Evidence

The name IN.ANNA (𒀭𒈹, "Lady of Heaven") is one of the most frequently attested divine names in the Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform corpus. Inanna appears in literary, ritual, and administrative texts spanning more than two thousand years.

• CDLI Corpus: IN.ANNA — Browse tablets mentioning Inanna/Ishtar
• Key tablet: The Descent of Inanna (CDLI P343434) — A Sumerian literary composition recounting Inanna's journey to the underworld. This is one of the most important works of Sumerian literature and a primary source for understanding Inanna's mythological role.
• Tablet preserving the "Descent of Inanna," a Sumerian poem that describes Inanna's journey to the underworld and her confrontation with Ereshkigal. (CDLI P343434)

See Also

• Uruk — Inanna's primary city
• Dumuzi — Inanna's consort
• Ereshkigal — Inanna's sister
• Enki — The god from whom Inanna stole the ME
• ME — The divine decrees
• Utu — Inanna's brother
• Enlil — Inanna's grandfather

Sources

• Sitchin, Z. (1985). The Wars of Gods and Men.
• Sitchin, Z. (1993). When Time Began.
• Wolkstein, D. & Kramer, S. N. (1983). Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth.
• Jacobsen, T. (1976). The Treasures of Darkness.