Inana

 

Adapted from a 5000 year old Sumerian legend

 

Part three: The rise and fall of the hero

 

'After the war the Mountain lamented the loss of the Ebih. In her pain she cried out to the Goddess saying, "my daughters are gone and my sons are no longer with me. What is there to love me now? The authority of the Ebih has vanished. They were a cedar that was rooted in the other world, its leafy crown to my wide shade. My voice, my security; they are not here any more, who will take me by the hand?"

 

 

Inana heard all that was spoken by the lonely mountain. She saw the chaos in the mountain's soul and she was troubled. Once again she turned again to Ninurta, her lion, for help.

 

 

"Hero," she said, "what now for the people of the mountain? What now of the black headed warriors? The authority of the Ebih is gone, the divine link to the otherworld is gone. The people no longer know their way through life. Even the spirits of the ancestors are restless." She placed her hand on Ninurta's shoulder and spoke softly into his ear. "Go into the Mountains, oh peerless one, and there you will find the Anzud bird. She is guardian of the Uta-ulu, the divine plans. Bring her back to me and we will return the Uta-ulu to their rightful place."

 

 

At her bidding Ninurta, the greatest of heroes, travelled for seven days until he reached the valley of the 'Gates of the Otherworld'. There, in the Pine Tree, he found the Anzud bird. Its beauty had no equal, its plumage was as bright as the day and its eyes as dark as the starlit night. Around it were seven chicks all with gaping beaks waiting to be fed. Ninurta put aside his mace, he put aside his spear and on his knees he addressed a hymn to the bird.

 

 

"Anzud Bird, guardian of the Gates of the Otherworld, messenger of the divine plans of Uta-ulu, you who are the path that once lost can not be found. Why have you flown from the Goddess to hide in this tree?"

 

 

And the bird replied: "cruelly you have treated me, Ninurta. Your mace has gouged my flanks and your dart has pieced my liver. You shook me and buffeted me and piled me up like broken rocks. I let slip the knowledge of the secret marks. The divine plan I let fall, I was stripped of the holy powers."

 

 

Ninurta was shocked when he heard these words and gave a wail. "And what of the Goddess? The sacred learning, the Uta-ulu, have not fallen into her hands, she can not exercise their authority. She can not live, like the Ebih, in the otherworld. The mountain cries out for your loss, and chaos is in the minds of the people of the Stones."

 

 

As Ninurta watched the bird drove its long beak into its side. Again and again the beak thrust deeply, each time drawing a fountain of blood which the chicks swallowed gleefully. As the Bird fell dying she said, "take you, Ninurta, hero most cruel, one of my chicks and return with it to the sacred places of the Goddess. There the Uta-ulu will return to the otherworld."

 

 

So Ninurta did as he was bid, and the bird and he together went back to Inana.

 

Inana was delighted with the return of her hero and honoured him duly. "Hero! No other Ananu could have acted so. As for the bird which you have captured, from now and forever you will have its power, for you have looked into its pitch black eyes and seen its rainbow plumage. You have the knowledge and the divine plans; all that is and shall be. The power to hold the will of the people, for good or ill, is yours. Even I, the Goddess, will do your bidding. Yours is the place of honour and all will proclaim you their lord. But remember, you are in the hands of the Goddess."

 

 

However, Ninurta was not satisfied with these promises for his heart had been stirred by visions. Secretly he was not content, for he contemplated great deeds and, in his lion soul, was rebellious. His mind had set its sights on the dominion of the whole world and he wanted to take that which was not his to take. But his heart still loved the Goddess. For a long time he wrestled with is conscience, torn between the two desires but eventually his will won out. He uttered the word of power, which he had gained in knowledge from the Anzud bird. The world trembled, and for a while the balance of light and dark was disturbed.

 

 

In the inner chambers of her temple Inana perceived the revolt, for the chains of the earth had moved. She, pondered the signs and decided that she would try and win Ninurta back to the path of harmony. To accomplish this she sent a messenger to his house. But the hero Ninurta refused to come out and raised his voice against the maiden. "Go from my door and from my path. For I am mighty and cannot be crossed. I wish you no harm. Go from my door."

 

 

Inana then knew that she had no choice but to act to curtail this man, for he had become dangerous and deadly. So she fashioned a great power, the old power of the Ebih and the Uta-ulu. This power she placed in a turtle that she made from the clays of the Otherworld. Against him she placed the turtle at the Gates of Heaven, then she summoned him forth.

 

 

"Come walk with me," she said to him. "Let us talk about your design for the world."

 

 

As they walked the turtle reached out and pierced Ninurta's tendon from behind and the hero gave a great cry.

Inana feigned surprise. "What is this" she questioned? The turtle scraped the ground until it had dug an evil pit. Ninurta, who was struggling to free himself from the magic grip, managed to turn around and, as he did so, Inana tripped him so that he and the turtle fell headlong into the hole. The hero was not able to escape and the turtle gnawed at his feet.

 

 

The maiden looked down at the hero and said to him, "My authority is that of the Goddess. It is her whom you who have set your mind to kill. You who make such big claims: I cut you down, I raise up. You who have looked at her enviously and sought her position: what has your position now seized for you? Where has your strength gone, where is your heroism? In the great mountains you caused destruction, but how will you get out now?"

And so saying she turned away, leaving Ninurta in the grip of the turtle, deep under the world.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inana

 

Adapted from a 5000 year old Sumerian legend

 

Part three: The rise and fall of the hero

 

'After the war the Mountain lamented the loss of the Ebih. In her pain she cried out to the Goddess saying, "my daughters are gone and my sons are no longer with me. What is there to love me now? The authority of the Ebih has vanished. They were a cedar that was rooted in the other world, its leafy crown to my wide shade. My voice, my security; they are not here any more, who will take me by the hand?"

 

 

Inana heard all that was spoken by the lonely mountain. She saw the chaos in the mountain's soul and she was troubled. Once again she turned again to Ninurta, her lion, for help.

 

 

"Hero," she said, "what now for the people of the mountain? What now of the black headed warriors? The authority of the Ebih is gone, the divine link to the otherworld is gone. The people no longer know their way through life. Even the spirits of the ancestors are restless." She placed her hand on Ninurta's shoulder and spoke softly into his ear. "Go into the Mountains, oh peerless one, and there you will find the Anzud bird. She is guardian of the Uta-ulu, the divine plans. Bring her back to me and we will return the Uta-ulu to their rightful place."

 

 

At her bidding Ninurta, the greatest of heroes, travelled for seven days until he reached the valley of the 'Gates of the Otherworld'. There, in the Pine Tree, he found the Anzud bird. Its beauty had no equal, its plumage was as bright as the day and its eyes as dark as the starlit night. Around it were seven chicks all with gaping beaks waiting to be fed. Ninurta put aside his mace, he put aside his spear and on his knees he addressed a hymn to the bird.

 

 

"Anzud Bird, guardian of the Gates of the Otherworld, messenger of the divine plans of Uta-ulu, you who are the path that once lost can not be found. Why have you flown from the Goddess to hide in this tree?"

 

 

And the bird replied: "cruelly you have treated me, Ninurta. Your mace has gouged my flanks and your dart has pieced my liver. You shook me and buffeted me and piled me up like broken rocks. I let slip the knowledge of the secret marks. The divine plan I let fall, I was stripped of the holy powers."

 

 

Ninurta was shocked when he heard these words and gave a wail. "And what of the Goddess? The sacred learning, the Uta-ulu, have not fallen into her hands, she can not exercise their authority. She can not live, like the Ebih, in the otherworld. The mountain cries out for your loss, and chaos is in the minds of the people of the Stones."

 

 

As Ninurta watched the bird drove its long beak into its side. Again and again the beak thrust deeply, each time drawing a fountain of blood which the chicks swallowed gleefully. As the Bird fell dying she said, "take you, Ninurta, hero most cruel, one of my chicks and return with it to the sacred places of the Goddess. There the Uta-ulu will return to the otherworld."

 

 

So Ninurta did as he was bid, and the bird and he together went back to Inana.

 

Inana was delighted with the return of her hero and honoured him duly. "Hero! No other Ananu could have acted so. As for the bird which you have captured, from now and forever you will have its power, for you have looked into its pitch black eyes and seen its rainbow plumage. You have the knowledge and the divine plans; all that is and shall be. The power to hold the will of the people, for good or ill, is yours. Even I, the Goddess, will do your bidding. Yours is the place of honour and all will proclaim you their lord. But remember, you are in the hands of the Goddess."

 

 

However, Ninurta was not satisfied with these promises for his heart had been stirred by visions. Secretly he was not content, for he contemplated great deeds and, in his lion soul, was rebellious. His mind had set its sights on the dominion of the whole world and he wanted to take that which was not his to take. But his heart still loved the Goddess. For a long time he wrestled with is conscience, torn between the two desires but eventually his will won out. He uttered the word of power, which he had gained in knowledge from the Anzud bird. The world trembled, and for a while the balance of light and dark was disturbed.

 

 

In the inner chambers of her temple Inana perceived the revolt, for the chains of the earth had moved. She, pondered the signs and decided that she would try and win Ninurta back to the path of harmony. To accomplish this she sent a messenger to his house. But the hero Ninurta refused to come out and raised his voice against the maiden. "Go from my door and from my path. For I am mighty and cannot be crossed. I wish you no harm. Go from my door."

 

 

Inana then knew that she had no choice but to act to curtail this man, for he had become dangerous and deadly. So she fashioned a great power, the old power of the Ebih and the Uta-ulu. This power she placed in a turtle that she made from the clays of the Otherworld. Against him she placed the turtle at the Gates of Heaven, then she summoned him forth.

 

 

"Come walk with me," she said to him. "Let us talk about your design for the world."

 

 

As they walked the turtle reached out and pierced Ninurta's tendon from behind and the hero gave a great cry.

Inana feigned surprise. "What is this" she questioned? The turtle scraped the ground until it had dug an evil pit. Ninurta, who was struggling to free himself from the magic grip, managed to turn around and, as he did so, Inana tripped him so that he and the turtle fell headlong into the hole. The hero was not able to escape and the turtle gnawed at his feet.

 

 

The maiden looked down at the hero and said to him, "My authority is that of the Goddess. It is her whom you who have set your mind to kill. You who make such big claims: I cut you down, I raise up. You who have looked at her enviously and sought her position: what has your position now seized for you? Where has your strength gone, where is your heroism? In the great mountains you caused destruction, but how will you get out now?"

And so saying she turned away, leaving Ninurta in the grip of the turtle, deep under the world.'