Prelude to "Dumuzi's Dream"

As promised, here is the final chapter of the Sumerian myth of The Descent of Inanna, Goddess of Heaven and Earth, and her husband, the shepherd king Dumuzi. Actually, this is the warm-up. Let's re-weave some of the dropped threads after our holiday hiatus from the story.

When we last saw Inanna, she was just returned from the underworld, accompanied by the galla, heartless demons who could not be moved to pity. The galla walked with Inanna because they had orders to take someone back to the underworld in her place. Such were the rules that governed commerce between the realms.

The first person that Inanna met was Ninshubur, her faithful advisor and friend. The galla said that they would take Ninshubur to fill Inanna's place but the goddess objected. They walked on.

Next Inanna met her eldest son, who threw himself in the dust at her feet.The galla said that they would take him to fill Inanna's place but the goddess objected. They walked on.

Next Inanna met Lulal, her youngest son, who threw himself in the dust at her feet.The galla said that they would take him to fill Inanna's place but the goddess objected. The galla said "Alright Inanna, we'll let him go. Let us walk on to your city, to Uruk, and the big apple tree."

When they got to the big apple tree they found Dumuzi, dressed in his royal finery, seated on his throne, busy with affairs of state. He didn't get up, cry out, or weep for joy when he saw his wife. He was busy. "I've had my hands full, " he said, "while you were off doing who-knows-what." The galla grabbed Dumuzi by the arms and by the thighs. They started to beat him. Inanna fixed her husband with the eye of death and said, "Take him. Take Dumuzi away."

Dumuzi wailed. he prayed to Utu, the god of justice, to save him. Utu was Dumuzi's brother-in-law. "Utu," he cried, "I am your brother-in-law. I am the one who brought gifts to your house. I treated your mother as if she were my own. I won the hand of your sister. I am the one who danced on the holy knees, the holy knees of Inanna. Turn my hands into snake hands, turn my feet into snake feet, and let me slip away."

Utu answered Dumuzi's prayers and he slipped away from his demons. But Dumuzi's flight, the struggle withe the underworld, and the story do not end there. Next Dumuzi has a dream.

Dumuzi was terrified. His heart was filled with tears. He ran back to his home on the steppe and stumbled across the grasslands crying. "Oh frogs in the river, oh crabs in the river, weep for me" he cried. "If something happens to me, if I disappear, please tell my mother. My mother will mourn for me. My sister will mourn for me."

Exhausted, Dumuzi lay down among the rushes to sleep. He had a dream. When he woke up he shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and began to tremble. He called out for his sister. "Bring me my wise woman," he said, "Bring me my little sister Geshtinanna, my sister the scribe, who knows many songs, who can interpret dreams. She will tell me the meaning of this dream."

Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story.