Dating back to Sumerian times, the story of Inanna's journey into the underworld encapsulates the cycles of the life that embrace us all.
Inanna is the goddess of the heavens and earth, she is beautiful, and powerful. Her many titles included Queen of Heaven and Earth, Priestess of Heaven, Light of the World, First Daughter of the Moon, Righteous Justice, Holy Shepherdess, Goddess of Fertility, and Loud Thundering Storm.
Jung uses this metaphore for journeying into the depths of our own minds and meeting our other selves.
Alternatively, if you look you can see the symbolism of the stripping of the forests of their leaves, the apparent death and the rebirth of the forest that occurs during the Autumn, Winter, Spring cycles.
Whether you look at her story from the perspective of a metaphore for the cycle of the seasons or the exploration of the depths within our own minds it is a fascinating story.
As the myth begins, Inanna has already established a relationship with Enki, the God of Wisdom and Waters. He has gifted her with the fourteen me, or blessings of power, which she readily accepts. Two of these blessings of power were the right of passage to and from kur, the netherworld.
Inanna hears the moaning of her sister Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld and abandons her realm of heaven and earth, even her temples, to descend into the "great below". Placing her crown upon her head, beads of lapis lazuli around her neck, sparkling stones fastened to her breast, a gold ring around her wrist, and a royal robe upon her body. She binds a breastplate about her chest and takes a lapis measuring rod and line in her hand, she sets out for the kur with her faithful servant, Ninshubur. When she arrives at the outer gates of the kur she commands Ninshubur to wait for three days, and if she has not returned, to call upon the elder Gods for help.
When Inanna challenges the gatekeeper to gain entry into the kur, he consults with Ereshkigal, telling her that a giant and powerful goddess, arrayed in splendor and with signs of authority, is waiting to enter Her realm. Ereshkigal becomes upset, then tells the gatekeeper to open each gate of the underworld a mere crack, and to remove Inanna's royal garments on her way through.
As Inanna passed through the first gate he removed her crown. At the second gate he removed her lapis beads; at the third, her sparkling stones; at the fourth, her breastplate; at the fifth, her gold ring; a the sixth, her lapis measuring rod; and at the seventh and final gate, her royal robe. Naked and disarmed, Inanna entered the throne room of her sister. Immediately, she was surrounded by the judges of the underworld, who ruled against her.
Then Ereshkigal fastened on Inanna the eye of death.
She spoke against her the word of wrath.
She uttered against her the cry of guilt.
She struck her.Inanna was turned into a corpse,
A piece of rotting meat,
And was hung from a hook on the wall.
After three days, Ninshubur went to Enki, God of Wisdom and Water, who originally blessed Inanna with the me of descent into and ascent from the kur. Enki was grieved and troubled. From under his fingernails he took dirt and created two creatures, neither male nor female, and gave them the food and water of life to carry to Inanna.
The creatures descend into kur and ingratiate themselves to Ereshkigal. Ereshkigal offers them a gift and they request the corpse of Inanna and take it with them as they leave. Using the food and drink provided by Enki they bring Inanna back to life.
A more complete version of this story with Jungian interpretation can be found at The Descent of Inanna
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