Today is the birthday of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love. 10 facts about her:
She is also the goddess of war, fertility, divination, divine law, political power and Wine. However, the earliest references to her are as the goddess of dates, wool, meat, and grain. Her emblem was the storehouse gates. She was also the goddess of rain and thunderstorms which may have evolved into her patronage of war.
She was an important deity in early civilizations in Mesopotamia (modern day Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and Turkey) particularly during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE.
She was also known as Ishtar, "the Queen of Heaven" or the Lady of the Date Clusters.
Her parents were Nanna, god of the Moon (although some traditions say the wind god, Enlil was her father) and his wife Ningal. She has a twin brother, Utu, the god of the sun and justice. Inanna and her brother are very close and some traditions suggest they might even have had an incestuous relationship. She also has a sister, Ereshkigal, who rules the underworld.
She is significant because she is the first goddess humans ever wrote about. Written references to her date back to the Late Uruk period of Sumer in Southern Mesopotamia, from around the 5th century BCE.
Her symbols include the Lion, the dove and the eight-pointed star. She is also associated with the planet Venus.
Her husband is the god Dumuzid (also known as Tammuz), the god of shepherds, although she wasn’t portrayed as a faithful wife. The Epic of Gilgamesh mentions her infamous ill-treatment of her lovers.
She’s a goddess of love, but was never a mother goddess or a helpmate. She is portrayed as young, beautiful and impetuous, constantly striving for power. She had piercing, penetrating Eyes and would dress to impress when making a public appearance. There are tales of her dragging young men out of taverns to have sex with her. Not the type to settle down and have babies!
Inanna appears in more myths than any other Sumerian deity.
The most famous myth about her is a descent into the underworld story, not unlike the ones in Greek and Roman mythology, in which she visits her sister and the seven judges of the underworld deem her guilty and strike her dead. The god Enki sends two beings to bring her back but as they escort her out, the guardians of the underworld, demand her husband Dumuzid be taken down to the underworld instead of her. Dumuzid is permitted to return to heaven for half the year, while his sister Geshtinanna remains in the underworld for the other half, thus explaining the cycle of the seasons.
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
Themes Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.
Reasons not to read it
- It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
- Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
- It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
- There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
- Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
- Superheroes. Again.
- Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.
- It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
- Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
- It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
- There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
- Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
- Superheroes. Again.
- Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.
No comments:
Post a Comment