Ishtar's Descent to the Netherworld

To the Netherworld, the Land of No Return,⁠a Istar, the daughter of Sin, set her mind. Indeed, the daughter of Sin set her mind to the dark house, the dwelling of Irkalla, to the house which none leaves who enters, to the road where traffic is one-way, to the house, whose dwellers thirst for light, where dust is their food, clay their bread. They see no light, they dwell in darkness, clothed like birds in garments of feather. Over the door and the bolt dust has settled, over the door beam a deathly silence has sunk. When Istar arrived at the gate of the Netherworld, she opened her mouth and said, uttered a word to the gatekeeper: “Hey, gatekeeper, open your gate! Open your gate for me that I may enter! If you don’t open the gate for me (and) I cannot enter, I will smash the door and break the bolt, I will smash the doorjamb and overturn the doors, a I will break the balance and tear off the knob! I will raise up the dead to devour the living, the dead shall outnumber the living!” The gatekeeper opened his mouth and spoke, uttering to the great Istar: “Hold it, my lady, do not knock it down! Wait inside, the door will be opened. I will go and tell your name to the queen Ereskigal.” The gatekeeper went in and uttered to Ereskigal: “Hey, here is your sister Istar, she stands at the gate, the holder of the great whipping tops, the one who roils the Apsu in front of Ea, her father]” When Ereskigal heard this, her face turned pale as a cut-off tamarisk, her lips turned black as the rim of the bowl. “What has prompted her heart (to come) to me? Why is her mind so pleased with me? Look, here I drink water with the Anunnaki, I eat clay for bread, I drink muddy water for beer. Should I weep for the young men who have left their wives? Should I weep for the young women who have been pulled out from their lovers’ laps? Should I weep for the baby, the infant who was sent away before his time? Go, gatekeeper, open your gate to her! Treat her according to the ancient rites!” The gatekeeper went and opened the gate for her. “Enter, my Lady, let Cutha rejoice over you! Let the palace of the Netherworld be glad at your presence!” He made her enter through the first gate, he loosed and removed the great tiara of her head. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the great tiara of my head?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” He made her enter through the second gate, he loosed and removed the earrings ofher ears. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the earrings of my ears?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” He made her enter through the third gate, he loosed and removed the egg-shaped beads of her neck. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the egg-shaped beads of my neck?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” He made her enter through the fourth gate, he loosed and removed the dress-pins of her breast. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the dress-pins of my breast?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” He made her enter through the fifth gate, he loosed and removed the girdle of birth-stones of her waist. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the girdle of birth-stones of my waist?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” He made her enter through the sixth gate, he loosed and removed the bangles of her wrists and ankles. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the bangles of my wrists and ankles?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” He made her enter through the seventh gate, he loosed and removed the garment of dignity of her body. “Why, gatekeeper, did you take away the garment of dignity of my body?” “Enter, my Lady. Thus are the rites of the Mistress of the Netherworld.” As soon as !star had descended to the Netherworld, Ereskigal saw her and trembled in front of her. Istar did not reason but sat on top of her. Ereskigal opened her mouth and said, she uttered to Namtar, her minister: “Go, Namtar, take her from my presence! Release sixty diseases against her, to overwhelm Istar: disease of the eyes against her eyes, disease of the arms against her arms, disease of the feet against her feet, disease of the heart against her heart, disease of the head against her head, let them loose against her body, against all of her!” After Istar, the lady, descended to the Netherworld, the bull would not mount the cow, the donkey would not impregnate the she-donkey, the young man would not impregnate the girl in the street, the young man slept in his private room, the young woman slept by herself. Papsukkal, the minister of the great gods, his nose downcast, his face gloomy, dressed in a mourning garment, his hair unkempt, wearily, went before Sin, his father, weeping, his tears flowing in front of Ea, the king: “Istar has descended to the Netherworld, (but) has not ascended. The moment she descended to the Land of No Return, the bull would not mount the cow, the donkey would not impregnate the she-donkey, the young man would not impregnate the girl in the street, the young man has slept in his private room, the young woman has slept by herself.” Ea, in the wisdom of his heart, created the word, created Asusu-namir, the “man-woman,” the assinnu. “Go, Asusu-namir, bend your mind towards the gate of the Netherworld, let the seven gates of the Netherworld be opened before you. let Ereskigal see you and rejoice at you. After she has relaxed, (and) her mood has lightened, have her swear by the great gods; [...] creatress [...] womb; raise your head and pay attention to the waterskin: ‘No, no, my Lady, let them give me the waterskin, that I may drink water from it When Ereskigal heard this, she smote her thigh, she bit her finger. “You have made a request that should not be requested! Come, Asusu-namir, I will curse you with a great curse, a I will decree you a fate never to be forgotten. May bread of the city’s ploughs be your food, may the city drains be your drinking vessel, may the shade of the city wall be your resting place, may the thresholds be your seat, may the drunk and the thirsty slap your cheek!” Ereskigal opened her mouth and said, uttered a word to Namtar, her minister: “Go, Namtar, knock at the “Steady Palace” decorate the thresholds with cowrie-shells, bring out the Anunnaki and seat them on golden thrones, sprinkle Istar with the water of life and bring her into my presence!” Namtar went and knocked at the “Steady Palace” he decorated the thresholds with cowrie-shells, he brought out the Anunnaki and seated them on golden thrones, he sprinkled Istar with the water of life and brought her into her (i.e., Ereslqgal’s) presence. [She said:] “Go, Namtar, and take Istar away: if she does not pay you her ransom, bring her back! Namtar took her to the gates. He made her go out through the first gate and returned to her the garment of dignity of her body, he made her go out through the second gate and returned to her the bangle(s) of her wrists and ankles, he made her go out through the third gate and returned to her the girdle of birthstones of her waist, he made her go out through the fourth gate and returned to her the dress-pins of her breast, he made her go out through the fifth gate and returned to her the egg-shaped beads of her neck, he made her go out through the sixth gate and returned to her the earrings of her ears, he made her go out through the seventh gate and returned to her the great tiara of her head. If she does not give you a substitute for herself, bring her back! Bathe Tammuz, the lover of her youth,⁠b in pure water, anoint him with sweet oil, dress him in a red garment, let him play the lapis lazuli pipe [...]! Let prostitutes amuse his mind. Belili lifted up her jewelry, her lap was filled with eyestones. When she heard the wailing of her brother, Belili smote the jewelry of her body, the eyestones which covered the front of the cow. “Do not rob me of my only brother! When Tammuz rises (to me), the lapis lazuli pipe and the carnelian ring will rise with him (to me), the male and female mourners will rise with him! May the dead rise and smell the incense!” The palace of Assurbanipal, king of the world, king of Assyria.