Anyone who was anyone in the ancient mythological world

[Manta Obscura]

Thanks!

[Rococo Modem Basilisk]

"...  Anyone who was anyone in the ancient mythological world had to do a tour of duty in the Underworld.  Inanna is the Sumerian queen of heaven who tricked her father into giving her the Tablets of Destiny, which contained the arts of astrology & other systems of divine navigation.  Out of compassion, she gave them to humanity.  ("Take 2 tablets, & call me after the millennium.")

Some versions of her story say that, compelled by her own intrepid curiosity, she decided to descend from the sky to the Underworld.  Other versions say that she was tricked by an invitation from Eriskegal, Queen of the Underworld.  Either way, before leaving she tells her friends that if she does not return within 60 days, they should 1st mourn her, then come rescue her.

As Inanna descends, at each of the 7 gates of the Underworld she is stripped of 1 of her attributes:  her crown, her jewelry, her robes, her pride, her self-esteem – everything but her sense of humor.  Finally she stands naked before Eriskegal, who fixes her with a stone-cold stare.  Under this frigid gaze, all life leaves Inanna's body & she is hung as a corpse in the land of the dead.

60 days pass.  In the above-world, all of creation goes into mourning except for Inanna's consort, Dumozi, the god of vegetation, who really whoops it up.  Her concerned friends & father descend & negotiate a hostage release with Ersikegal.  They finally broker a deal in which Inanna can return to the upper world as long as she sends down a replacement.  Inanna says, "Hhhhmmm . . . I wonder who that will be?  How about my charming husband who didn't shed a tear for me?"

Dumuzi the vegetative god had become a vegetable, a party vegetable, a veritable couch potato in need of an initiatory descent.  So he is sent down as her replacement.  In turn, Inanna negotiates his release for half the year, during which time the desert blooms.

In a similar tale from Greek mythology, Persephone descends to the Plutonian Underworld a young girl bust ascends a queen & a woman.   ... "

- Making the Gods Work For You, The Astrological Language of the Psyche by Caroline W. Casey

Just curious if anyone has ever heard of Eriskegal?

I have an intense urge to throw an apple at the head of whoever did this translation. Hard.

Erishkegal is the "foremost of the firm grounds", btw. And "tablets of destiny"? Come on! She went to the house of Enki (not her dad, but a fatherly figure, and most definitely related somehow -- incest was the sign of royal or godly blood in those days, and so most of the brothers in terms of the first generation of dieties are also each others' uncles, etc.), because she had just gone through puberty and wanted to seduce someone. She then got him drunk, but he passed out, so she just stole his house and 99 of the tablets of the Grand ME (the documentation of everything in the universe), and ran off. Enki was so pleased that *someone* had figured out how to outwit him (hint: it involves beer) that he gave her a copy of the tablets. In a totally different myth, years later, after she was already married, she goes to the underworld and has to trade a tablet for passage through each of the gates.

Erishkegal has nothing to do with Eris discernibly (a quite minor male diety). Innana (aka Ishtar, for the babylonianly inclined) however seems to be a prototype for the discordian interpretation of Eris -- not evil, but also not "good"; instead, simply holds her own, and is pretty unpredictable. Her domain is that which is inherently impossible or inherently impossible to describe or classify, and making women's clothing. Go figure.

[Honey]

I have an intense urge to throw an apple at the head of whoever did this translation. Hard.

I think she meant it in a playful way.  Alas, alack, aday & ofuck.  whooops!

Here's somethingelse from the same book - woo whoo - a ritual to attract love even. 

"Rituals can be performed either to deepen commitment or to attract love.  Oshun is the Venusian deity in the Santeria pantheon who presides over love, beauty, wealth, money & a playfully flirtatious attitude toward all of life.  Her affinity is with all sweet (non-salt) water.  She loves to set us on fire & heal us with refreshing coolness afterward.  Aromatic flowers & cooling mint are among Oshun's profusion of gifts.

The following Venus/Oshun ritual is highly effective if you want to attract someone into your life to love.  (The author disavows responsibility for any unsuitable lovers who may result.)  Again, believe nothing, entertain possibilities.

On a Friday, take a round piece of bread, such as a roll, make a hole in it, & put a nickel inside (the #5, represented by the nickel, is sacred to Venus).  On top of the nickel, place a little piece of folded paper on which you have written the qualities you desire in your beloved.  Put a little bit of honey on top of that, for obvious symbolic reasons, then place a short yellow candle in the hole.  Light the candle.

You can do anything you want while that candle is burning.  Honor Venus: play beautiful music, go out to a seafood dinner, get a pedicure.  Prepare yourself & your home for Venus's arrival.  When the candle is completely burned down so that only melted wax remains on top of the bread, take it to sweet water.  Go to a river or pond & throw the completely biodegradable bread-candle remains into the water while saying, "I am the presence bringing into my life my beloved, free & willing to be my mate & partner.  I am so inspired that I find the courage to play & the wisdom to love with a cheerful heart."

All rituals are really offered to prime the pump of your own associative creativity.  You can rewrite the words, or substitute a bran muffin if you want to see someone regularly.  In the ensuing days, each morning repeat that phrase, or a phrase of your own preference, to the 4 directions until you get desirable results.

This ritual always seems to work.  It has broken the droughts of a number of friends & clients who were fearing spinster hood or involuntary monasticism.  It stirs things up immediately, but it can also be tricky.  You might want someone who has a lot of time for you, & they turn out to be unemployed.  You might want someone who's not going to move away soon, & they turn out to be in prison.  Oshun/Venus is a playful, witty goddess who will give you what she thinks you need.  She will keep your petition in mind if you are willing to play.  In addition to honoring the flirtatious Venus, this ritual reintroduces a sense of beauty, playfulness, & willingness to be in the relationship dance. 

Many of you may have already tried this at home.  To further honor Venus, we remember James Hillman's words: "Laziness goes with mental brilliance.  Long hours of waste that accompany intellectual activity, inertia, & dullness are necessary."  The Venus part of ourselves responds, "Yes.  Absolutely.  Bring on the chocolates."  Leisure & waste are necessary accompaniments to creativity, essential compost for Venus's garden, & ways of honoring Venus in our lives.

...  Art raises us above the confines of realism."

- Making the Gods Work for You, The Astrological Language of the Psyche by Caroline W. Casey 

[Brotep]

I took an anthro class in college called "Death and Afterlife in Biblical Times" taught by someone who the entire class was convinced was either

• An Actual Vampire
• The Manifestation of Erishkigal

...

Betcha she's a great lay, if you don't mind teeth marks/being on the bottom.

Also: anthro rules

Innana (aka Ishtar, for the babylonianly inclined) however seems to be a prototype for the discordian interpretation of Eris -- not evil, but also not "good"; instead, simply holds her own, and is pretty unpredictable. Her domain is that which is inherently impossible or inherently impossible to describe or classify, and making women's clothing. Go figure.

Are you saying Discordian Eris was likely inspired by Inanna, or just that they are similar?

Many trickster characters would fit the bill, though they tend to be androgynous.

In any case, trickster tales make for great entertainment and are well worth looking into for anyone interested in Discordia.

[Rococo Modem Basilisk]

I'd say they were similar, but they could be related. After all, "abyss" is a loan word from sumerian, which hadn't been spoken for a millenium or two by the time latin was first spoken.

[LMNO]

In an interesting coincidence, one of my final papers in High School was on Inanna.  This was before I had even heard of Eris.



Synchro-net: ENGAGED.

[Cain]

There was something about Inanna and Eris...but I forgot it.  It doesn't help that the Greeks tend to view foreign gods as just slightly wierd versions of their own (Hermes as Thoth, for example).

[Rococo Modem Basilisk]

I like Innana. When a goddess has the habit of starting myths relating to her off by repeating the mantra "My vulva is lovely", it's generally a good sign.

Also, the best part of that innana-and-the-underworld myth (imo) is that when she gets back and her husband Dumuzi is ignoring her in favour of continuing his powertrip (Dumuzi is about the lamest and most useless deity ever, btw), she tells the little demon critters hanging to her to take him instead.

[Telarus]

Yah, these type of connections are pretty hard to confirm (mainly due to the spread of sloppy neo-pagan webpages that are just lists of "Names of the Goddess" with no citations or research included).

I think I may have run into something when I was researching the [Rhea/Tabiti -> Ma-Cybele -> Ma-Bellona -> Enyo -> Eris] connections. Will check.