The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld

Mesopotamian mythology

Also known as: “Descent of Inanna”

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June 25, 2026

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The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld is a Mesopotamian myth detailing the goddess Ishtar's journey to the underworld. Ishtar, also known as Inanna, was a complex deity associated with war, fertility, and sexual love. Her sister, Ereshkigal, ruled the underworld, a grim realm described as a distant land of no return, a house of dust with seven gates.12

In the myth, Ishtar travels to the underworld, where she is stripped of her regalia at each gate and ultimately killed by Ereshkigal. Her death causes drought and infertility on Earth. The gods intervene, and Ishtar is revived, but only after offering her husband, Dumuzi, as a replacement to Ereshkigal. This act ensures the earth's fertility and reinforces the boundary between the living and the dead.2

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Anunnaki
…echoed by the Sumerian myth Descent of Inanna to the Underworld, in which the goddess Inanna crosses into the realm of the dead, seeking to overthrow her sister, the queen of the dead. The Anunnaki step forward to judge her for her audacity.
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…echoed by the Sumerian myth Descent of Inanna to the Underworld, in which the goddess Inanna crosses into the realm of the dead, seeking to overthrow her sister, the queen of the dead. The Anunnaki step forward to judge her for her audacity.
Read More

death
Mesopotamia
In a myth called “The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld,” the fertility goddess decides to visit kur-nu-gi-a (“the land of no return”), where the dead “live in darkness, eat clay, and are clothed like birds with wings.” She threatens the doorkeeper: “If thou openest not that I may…
Read More
In a myth called “The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld,” the fertility goddess decides to visit kur-nu-gi-a (“the land of no return”), where the dead “live in darkness, eat clay, and are clothed like birds with wings.” She threatens the doorkeeper: “If thou openest not that I may…
Read More

hell
Mesopotamia
In the poem Descent of Inanna, she sets forth to visit Ereshkigal’s kingdom in splendid dress, only to be compelled, at each of the seven gates, to shed a piece of her regalia. Finally, Inanna falls naked and powerless before Ereshkigal, who hangs her up like so much…
Read More
In the poem Descent of Inanna, she sets forth to visit Ereshkigal’s kingdom in splendid dress, only to be compelled, at each of the seven gates, to shed a piece of her regalia. Finally, Inanna falls naked and powerless before Ereshkigal, who hangs her up like so much…
Read More