Inanna, Sumerian Goddess Trivia Quiz

Answer: Love, Fertility, and War

Inanna was the goddess of love and fertility, and also the goddess of war. She represented the undomesticated woman, wild and free, both masculine and feminine. She took any man she pleased, and when she didn't get one she wanted, she took her revenge instead, as was the case with Gilgamesh.

Answer: Dumuzi

Dumuzi was Inanna's primary partner, but they had a very complicated relationship. When Inanna decended to the underworld she was turned into a corpse, but then rescued by Enki, but she wasn't allowed to leave the underworld until she found someone to take her place.

When Inanna found out that Dumuzi did not mourn her death, but instead seemed to relish in her absence, she insisted that he take her place.

Answer: Ereshkigal

Ereshkigal, Inanna's sister, seemed very threatened by Inanna's arrival and instructed the gate keepers to make Inanna remove a piece of armor/clothing/jewelery to pass each of the seven gates, leaving her completely stripped of clothing and power when she arrived in front of her sister.

Answer: Tricked Enki to get them

Inanna went to visit Enki in a guise of merry-making and got him drunk. He gave them to her in his inebriated state, but in the morning he realized what had happened and sent sea monsters or demons after her ship to stop her, but she escaped and returned to her city with the valuable information.

Answer: Ishtar

Inanna was known as Ishtar by the later Babylonians. She no longer held a major seat of power and her character was changed slightly, but she is essentially the same goddess of love and war, with at least one of the same tales about her, her descent to the underworld.

Answer: Eight-pointed star

Inanna's symbol is the eight-pointed star, or rosette. Also, most feminine carvings in Mesopotamia are believed to depict Inanna.

Answer: Venus

Some ancient cultures thought Venus was two different celestial bodies because of its inconsistent movements as observed from earth, but the Mesopotamians seemed to know the truth. Both Inanna and Venus are referred to as the morning and the evening star.

Answer: New Years

The 'Sacred Marriage' ritual was performed to help ensure fertility and abundance throughout the new year.

Answer: He raped her

According to the myth, Inanna was sleeping under the only poplar tree that Shukaletuda had successfully grown (as he was a terrible gardener) when he had his way with her. When she realised that she had been ravished in her sleep, she sent a series of plagues to reveal and punish her attacker. Enki finally helped her, by giving her the power to fly across the sky to the mountains where Shukaletuda was hidden.

This myth was used in explanation of the cyclic change of Venus from morning star to evening star.

Answer: Modern day Iraq

Sumer was located between the Euphrates River and the Tigris river in modern day Iraq. The word Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers".