Goddess Inanna
What if we loved our vulvas so much, we would applaud each time we looked in the mirror? Well, get ready for some 6000–year–old sex– and body positivity in the gorgeous shape of Inanna, Sumerian* goddess of love, sex and political power! ‘The lady of the Largest Heart’, Inanna was called by high priestess Enheduanna, the earliest known author of written literature. She is described as stunning, flanked by lions, dazzling with gold and jewels, and then there was her incredible vulva… “When she leaned against the apple tree, her vulva was wondrous to behold,” the priestess writes. “Rejoicing at her wondrous vulva, the young woman Inanna applauded herself.” You go, goddess!
Both a lover and a fighter, ‘Queen of Earth and Heaven’ Inanna was more popular than any other deity at the time, male or female. She would later evolve into goddess Ishtar and eventually inspire Greek Aphrodite, but her spunk and sexual chutzpah still seem thoroughly modern today. Obsessed with power, Inanna stole the concepts of wisdom and culture from the God of Wisdom – after getting him drunk – and took over the temple from the God of the Sky. In love, she was equally ambitious. Setting her sights on a potential lover called Dumuzi, Inanna sends him a proposal that is both poetic and pragmatic, describing her vulva as ‘full of eagerness like the young moon’ and comparing it to neglected, unplowed land. “As for me, Inanna, who will plow my vulva?” she demands to know. (Remember that, next time you’re sexting!)
I love the fact that, even though Dumuzi does a great job of ‘filling her holy churn with honey cheese’, Inanna doesn’t settle down with her new husband but goes right back to business. This time, she tries to conquer the Underworld where she gets killed, is brought back to life, then returns home triumphantly – only to find Dumuzi sitting on her throne. He doesn’t even greet her! So, she strikes him down and sends a pack of demons after him. The Queen of Earth and Heaven has better things to do. Like run the world.
Yes, Inanna could be ruthless, horny and impulsive, but the Mesopotamians adored her for it. It seems that, in a society where women were equal to men (as historians claim), a goddess didn’t have to be perfect to be loved. So, let Inanna reach across millennia to ask you one question: “What would you do in a world without slut–shaming or glass ceilings?”. Channel her badass energy and go for it. And don’t forget to applaud yourself from time to time.
*the earliest known civilization, in Southern Mesopotamia
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