Ishtar (Inanna) => connections

Click HERE for Inanna's Descent

Ishtar is the goddess of extremes. She seems to contradict herself in her existence in every possible way. She is the goddess of love, and at the same time of warfare. She is immortal, and yet she experiences death. She tries to tempt Gilgamesh into being with her, which would ultimately cause his downfall, yet she sacrifices herself to death for well being of mortals. However, although these things seem to contradict each other, they are connected. She is the goddess of love. Perhaps it is because of this, and her ultimate beauty, that causes men to go to war with each other over her. Although she is an immortal goddess, she tries to experience death as a sacrifice for the mortals, just like some people believe Jesus died for our sins. But Ishtar and Jesus are probably ONLY alike in this way. She was an immortal goddess, he the son of god. She is like most polytheistic gods, with faults, irrational feelings, etc. Jesus was a prophet who showed others the true way to heaven. You could, on the other hand, compare Ishtar with the Taoist belief of yin and yang. Yinand yang are complete opposites that balance each other. If they are unbalance the world would crumble. Ishtar is like yin and yang collective in one being. The contradictory aspects of her balance each other, making her neutral. Some may however, interpret this not as neutrality, but rather as unpredictable. For even though all her actions in their meaning cancel each other out, they still happen, and still affect others.