The Hero with a Thousand Faces

She adorned herself with her queenly robes and jewels. Seven divine decrees she fastened at her belt. She was ready to enter the “land of no return,” the nether world of death and darkness, governed by her enemy and sister goddess, Ereshkigal. In fear, lest her sister should put her to death, Inanna instructed Ninshubur, her messenger, to go to heaven and set up a hue and cry for her in the assembly hall of the gods if after three days she should have failed to return.

Inanna descended. She approached the temple made of lapis lazuli, and at the gate was met by the chief gatekeeper, who demanded to know who she was and why she had come. “I am the queen of heaven, the place where the sun rises,” she replied. “If thou art the queen of heaven,” he said, “the place where the sun rises, why, pray, hast thou come to the land of no return? On the road whose traveler returns not, how has thy heart led thee?” Inanna declared that she had come to attend the funeral rites of her sister’s husband, the lord Gugalanna; whereupon Neti, the gatekeeper, bid her stay until he should report to Ereshkigal. Neti was instructed to open to the queen of heaven the seven gates, but to abide by the custom and remove at each portal a part of her clothing.

To the pure Inanna he says:

“Come, Inanna, enter.”

Upon her entering the first gate,

The shugurra, the “crown of the plain” of her head, was removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Upon her entering the second gate,

The rod of lapis lazuli was removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Upon her entering the third gate,

The small lapis lazuli stones of her neck were removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of

the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Upon her entering the fourth gate,

The sparkling stones of her breast were removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Upon her entering the fifth gate,

The gold ring of her hand was removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Upon her entering the sixth gate,

The breastplate of her breast was removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Upon her entering the seventh gate,

All the garments of ladyship of her body were removed.

“What, pray, is this?”

“Extraordinarily, O Inanna, have the decrees of the nether world been perfected,

O Inanna, do not question the rites of the nether world.”

Naked, she was brought before the throne. She bowed low. The seven judges of the nether world, the Anunnaki, sat before the throne of Ereshkigal, and they fastened their eyes upon Inanna — the eyes of death.