derveni krater is a carved vessel with detail of the goddess inanna.
derveni krater is a carved vessel with detail of the goddess inanna.
carved vessel with detail of the goddess inanna?
derveni krater
the bottom register displays naturalistic components of life, including water and plants, such as date palm, barley, and wheat. on the upper portion of the lowest register, alternating rams and ewes march in a single file. the middle register conveys naked men carrying baskets of foodstuffs symbolizing offerings. lastly, the top register depicts the goddess inanna accepting a votive offer. inanna stands at the front portion of the gate surrounded by her richly filled shrine and storehouse (identifiable by two reed door poles with dangling banners). this scene may illustrate a reproduction of the ritual marriage between the goddess and dumunzi, her consort that ensures uruk’s continued vitality.
warka vase
the poem "inanna and shukaletuda" (etcsl 1.3.3) begins with a hymn to inanna, praising her as the planet venus. it then introduces shukaletuda, a gardener who is terrible at his job and partially blind. all of his plants die, except for one poplar tree. shukaletuda prays to the gods for guidance in his work. to his surprise, the goddess inanna sees his one poplar tree and decides to rest under the shade of its branches. shukaletuda removes her clothes and rapes inanna while she sleeps. when the goddess wakes up and realizes she has been violated, she becomes furious and determines to bring her attacker to justice. in a fit of rage, inanna unleashes horrible plagues upon the earth, turning water into blood. shukaletuda, terrified for his life, pleads his father for advice on how to escape inanna's wrath. his father tells him to hide in the city, amongst the hordes of people, where he will hopefully blend in. inanna searches the mountains of the east for her attacker, but is not able to find him. she then releases a series of storms and closes all roads to the city, but is still unable to find shukaletuda, so she asks enki to help her find him, threatening to leave her temple in uruk if he does not. enki consents and allows inanna to "fly across the sky like a rainbow". inanna finally locates shukaletuda, who vainly attempts to invent excuses for his crime against her. inanna rejects these excuses and kills him. theology professor jeffrey cooley has cited the story of shukaletuda as a sumerian astral myth, arguing that the movements of inanna in the story correspond with the movements of the planet venus. he has also stated that, while shukaletuda was praying to the goddess, he may have been looking toward venus on the horizon.
inanna