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| Ack, fallit har du från himlen, lysande stjärna, gryningens son, du har krossats mot jorden, du som betvingade folken. Det var du som sade till dig själv: ”Upp till himlen skall jag stiga. Ovan Guds stjärnor skall jag resa min tron och ta säte på gudaberget längst uppe i norr. Jag skall stiga upp ovan molnen, jag skall bli som den Högste.” Men ner till dödsriket störtas du, längst ner i avgrundens djup. (Jes 14:12-14) |
| QUOTE (Hedning @ 2005-12-06, 18:16) |
| Straffet lindras iom att hennes älskade tar plats i underjorden under sex månader av året och avbyts sedan av henne själv under de resterande. Den här myten är allmänt sedd som upphovet till den grekiska myten om Persephone.) |
| QUOTE (Sara) |
| mbaf... Jag har hört en annan variant av myten kring Persefone. I ursprunget valde Persefone själv att vandra nere i dödsriket för att hjälpa själarna vidare, och blev på intet sätt nedtvingad eller bortrövad av Hades. Ytterligare en tanke kring "den slumrande kvinnosjälen" och hur myterna kanske förändrades för att inte störe henne i sömnen... |
| QUOTE (Hedning) |
| Straffet lindras iom att hennes älskade tar plats i underjorden under sex månader av året och avbyts sedan av henne själv under de resterande. |
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| One of the most striking Sumerian myths describes Inanna passing through seven gates of hell into the underworld. At each gate some of her clothing and her ornaments are removed until at the last gate she is entirely naked. Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld kills her and hangs her corpse on a hook on the wall. When Inanna returns from the underworld by intercession of the clever god, her uncle, Enki, according to the rules she must find someone to take her place. On her way home she encounters her friends prostrated with grief at her loss, but in Kulaba, her cult city, she finds her lover Dumuzi, a son of Enki, Tammuz seated in splendour on a throne, so she has him seized and dragged below. Later, missing him, she arranges for his sister to substitute for him during six months of the year. (Compare Greek story of Persephone) |
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| Ishtar by Micha F. Lindemans Ishtar was the ancient Sumero-Babylonian goddess of love and fertility. She is often described as the daughter of Anu, the god of the air. In most of the myths concerning her, she is described as an evil, heartless, women who destroyed her mates and lovers. Her greatest lover was the farm god Tammuz, who is similar to the Greek Adonis. After he died she went into the underworld to retrieve him but her efforts were vain and she returned to the living world alone. Later, in the great epic of Gilgamesh, she tried to make Gilgamesh her husband, but he refused her and reminded her of her former lovers, whom she mercilessly killed or left injured. She reported this to her father, Anu, and he gave her the mystical bull of heaven to avenge herself. Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu stopped and killed the mighty creature and threw its headless body at her feet. They also insulted her, and she responded by sending disease to kill Gilgamesh's best friend Enkidu. She is one of Aphrodite's counterparts. Aphrodite by Micha F. Lindemans In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture. According to Hesiod, she was born when Uranus (the father of the gods) was castrated by his son Cronus. Cronus threw the severed genitals into the ocean which began to churn and foam about them. From the aphros ("sea foam") arose Aphrodite, and the sea carried her to either Cyprus or Cythera. Hence she is often referred to as Kypris and Cytherea. Homer calls her a daughter of Zeus and Dione. After her birth, Zeus was afraid that the gods would fight over Aphrodite's hand in marriage so he married her off to the smith god Hephaestus, the steadiest of the gods. He could hardly believe his good luck and used all his skills to make the most lavish jewels for her. He made her a girdle of finely wrought gold and wove magic into the filigree work. That was not very wise of him, for when she wore her magic girdle no one could resist her, and she was all too irresistible already. She loved gaiety and glamour and was not at all pleased at being the wife of sooty, hard-working Hephaestus. Aphrodite loved and was loved by many gods and mortals. Among her mortal lovers, the most famous was perhaps Adonis. Some of her sons are Eros, Anteros, Hymenaios and Aeneas (with her Trojan lover Anchises). She is accompanied by the Graces. Her festival is the Aphrodisiac which was celebrated in various centers of Greece and especially in Athens and Corinth. Her priestesses were not prostitutes but women who represented the goddess and sexual intercourse with them was considered just one of the methods of worship. Aphrodite was originally an old-Asian goddess, similar to the Mesopotamian Ishtar and the Syro-Palestinian goddess Ashtart. Her attributes are a.o. the dolphin, the dove, the swan, the pomegranate and the lime tree. In Roman mythology Venus is the goddess of love and beauty and Cupid is love's messenger. :respect: |
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| Inanna descended into the underworld, adorned in Lapis Lazuli. She died and in three days returned alive to walk upon the Earth. The story of Her descent and return are ancient rebirth stories. Inanna's rising from the dead is a forerunner of the christian story of Jesus's resurrection, which parallels the earlier Inanna journey. The book "Inanna Queen of Heaven and Earth" by Wolkstein & Kramer recounts this tale in translations of ancient tablets. |
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| The Knot of Inanna is sacred to the Goddess. The image of this knot was the first written form of the Goddess's name. The Knot of Inanna often appears as the top of a tall pole. This symbol of the Goddess's authority was probably the original archetype of the much later crosier, which is carried by christian bishops and abbots. Inanna descended into the underworld, adorned in Lapis Lazuli. She died and in three days returned alive to walk upon the Earth. The story of Her descent and return are ancient rebirth stories. Inanna's rising from the dead is a forerunner of the christian story of Jesus's resurrection, which parallels the earlier Inanna journey. The book "Inanna Queen of Heaven and Earth" by Wolkstein & Kramer recounts this tale in translations of ancient tablets. ,br> Inanna is the Goddess of the Morning and Evening Star. The Semites honored Inanna as Ishtar. She Presides over the birth of both night and day. Next to Inanna is the sacred star sign of brilliant Venus. The Star of Venus is a symbol of both death and rebirth. The winged Goddess moved freely between the worlds. Childbirth Among Her many other titles, Inanna is the "Goddess of Love and Procreation". Sacred marriage rites were performed at New Year and the blessings of Inanna were sought to insure fertility. This flame burns to honor Inanna May She grant the blessings of Fertility to all who seek this Gift. Inanna is known as "First Daughter of the Moon" Sitting upon Her lapis lazuli throne, She was the beloved Goddess of Sumeria. The Rosette has been a symbol associated with many Goddesses, but it is especiially sacred to both Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte. Some scholars think that the Rosette is a symbol for the star of Venus. The Rosette is the "Star of the Earth" and grows up from the underworld beneath the ground. It is the Earth's star, as Venus is the star of the heavens. Many carved rosettes have survived, they vary widely in their patterns, but all are clearly representations of the rosette. Enheduanna Below are the words of a high priestess, named Enheduanna (en-hey'-du-ana), who worshipped the Goddess, Inanna. Enheduanna, is the first known author in the history of writing, she was a high priestess who lived 4,000 years ago in the city of Ur, (now southern Iraq). The passage below is a new translation of Enheduanna's poetry from the recently published book "Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart" by Betty DeShong Meador, (University of Texas Press, Austin). Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart at Amazon.com "Queen of all given powers/unveiled clear light/ unfailing woman wearing brilliance/cherished in heaven and earth/ chosen, sanctified in heaven/you/grand in your adornments/ crowned with your beloved goodness/rightfully you are High Priestess/ your hands seize the seven fixed powers/my queen of fundamental forces/ guardian of essential cosmic sources/you lift up the elements/ bind them to your hands/gather in powers/press them to your breast/ vicious dragon you spew/venom poisons the land/like the storm god you howl/ grain wilts on the ground/swollen flood rushing down the mountain/ you are Inanna/supreme in heaven and earth..." |