The Transformation of Inanna

Despite Inanna’s role as a myth model for contemporary women, evidence suggests that she did not serve the same function for women in ancient Mesopotamia. The Inanna that has come down to us—the goddess associated with sexual agency and martial dominion—appears to have been shaped, in part, by mythic propaganda that reinforced the social, political, and reproductive agendas of a patriarchal elite. However, when we look more closely at her early historic roots, a different Inanna begins to emerge that contrasts with the one we are familiar with today.

This lecture explores the possibility that Inanna originated as a prepatriarchal Great Goddess and traces how her myths and iconography transformed over time. By examining both the patriarchal elements embedded in her later traditions, and examples of the ways she resists them, we discover a goddess that is far more nuanced than either interpretation alone suggests. 

Through this historically recontextualized lens,…