Ishtar, The Goddess of "Love"

Ishtar is considered the goddess of love in Mesopotamia. Hmm...

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is almost the polar opposite of Ishtar. I don't think she should be even classified as the goddess of love. Although, that says something about civilization in Mesopotamia. Ishtar is closer to a goddess of sex than love. In our current society, love and sex are two different things. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh tells of all of Ishtar's conquests.

"...you toyed with him in naughty ways

to notch another trophy for

your sexy reputation."

This doesn't exactly seem like something a goddess of love would do. She's a man-eater, she takes these poor innocent souls and takes advantage of them, leaving ruins in her wake. The same is true for Inanna's Descent.

"My vulva, the horn,

The Boat of Heaven,

Is full of eagerness like the young moon.

My untilled land lies fallow..."

Who, in our modern society, reminds me of Ishtar?

Ishtar seems like the kind of girl who has been running to Daddy all her life. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, when Gilgamesh rejects her, she goes to her father and whines, "'Daddy, Daddy, pleeeeease, Gilgamesh called me a tease.'" She is the kind of person who has always been able to run to Daddy and he would do things for her. This is shown in all aspects of Ishtar's personality, and frankly, it's not so endearing. This is similar to the children of rock stars and the upper class, who whine for anything and everything when not given their way. Like the show My Super Sweet Sixteen, where girls have half million dollar parties and they cry because it wasn't perfect, Ishtar has been given what she wants her entire life, and isn't happy if it doesn't continue that way.