(Please read from the start)
“Other interpretations
A number of less scholarly interpretations of the myth arose through the 20th century, many of them rooted in the tradition of Jungian analysis rather than assyriology.
Diane Wolkstein interprets the myth as a union between Inanna and her own "dark side": her twin sister-self, Ereshkigal. When Inanna ascends from the underworld, it is through Ereshkigal's powers, but, while Inanna is in the underworld, it is Ereshkigal who apparently takes on the powers of fertility. The poem ends with a line in praise, not of Inanna, but of Ereshkigal. Wolkstein interprets the narrative as a praise-poem dedicated to the more negative aspects of Inanna's domain, symbolic of an acceptance of the necessity of death in order to facilitate the continuance of life. It should be pointed out that cultic texts such as god lists do not associate Ereshkigal and Inanna with each other: the former doesn't belong to the circle of Inanna's hyposthases and attendants, but to a grouping of underworld gods (Ninazu, Ningishzida, Inshushinak, Tishpak, etc.) in the famous An-Anum god list; and her "alter egos" in various god lists were similar foreign deities(Allani, Lelwani etc.), not Inanna.”
>> Wolkstein has a point when she says we are probably dealing with different aspects of the Evil Lady. I didn’t look into it, it’s up to those whom are interested in this story.
“Joseph Campbell interpreted the myth as a tale about the psychological power of a descent into the unconscious, the realization of one's own strength through an episode of seeming powerlessness, and the acceptance of one's own negative qualities.
Conversely, philosopher Joshua Mark argues that the most likely moral intended by the original author of the Descent of Inanna is that there are always consequences for one's actions: "The Descent of Inanna, then, about one of the gods behaving badly and other gods and mortals having to suffer for that behavior, would have given to an ancient listener the same basic understanding anyone today would take from an account of a tragic accident caused by someone’s negligence or poor judgment: that, sometimes, life is just not fair."”
>> I disagree with both J. Campbell and J. Mark interpretations.
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