Christine Irving has taken on the archetypal myth of Inanna’s descent/dismembering/and ascent through clear, readable poetry that brings the story to contemporary life. Inanna’s tale is revealed through the eyes of the characters depicted in the myth as found in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, a project of the University of Oxford. Her story unfolds gradually as she travels through seven gates down into her sister Ereshkigal’s underground domain, It continues through death, resurrection, and ascent to culminate in a demon driven search for a scapegoat to take her place in the underworld.
There is more. In the second section, Christine imagines a contemporary group of women taking part in a ritual based on Inanna’s myth. Together they create a series of seven gates through which they will pass, shedding what no longer serves on the descent, and gaining new perspective and intention as they ascend. Their stories are designed to guide contemporary women toward an understanding of Inanna’s myth in terms of their own life journeys.
The third section of Return to Inanna offers a description of what ritual is and a generic template for creating one’s own ritual. It also explores the history and efficacy of public lamentation as a balm for grief. Taken all together, this book is designed to honor the role of myth and poetry in women’s history, underscore their relevance in the lives of modern women of every age, and act as a guidebook on a personal journey of renewal.