Mesopotamian · Sumerian · c. 1900 BCE, from older material
The Descent of Inanna to the Netherworld
Anonymous; Sumerian composition
The Sumerian recension of the descent, and a substantially different text from the shorter Akkadian one the corpus already carried. It is longer, it names the substitute who takes her place, and the ending — Dumuzi sent below in her stead — has no counterpart in the Akkadian at all.
Read The Descent of Inanna to the Netherworld in full at the linked edition →What this text attests · 2
| Name here | Rank given | # | Powers described |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | The Sumerian recension, longer than the Akkadian one the corpus already held and different in its ending: Inanna is released only on finding a substitute, and Dumuzi is taken in her place. Ereshkigal's law binds a goddess who walks into her country, which is the point both versions make. | |
galla = The Gallu | Those who accompany Inanna up | — | Go up with her to take the substitute the netherworld is owed, refuse every candidate who is in mourning, and seize Dumuzi because he is not. |
