The cult of the goddess Ishtar

 Probably all of us have heard of Babylon. We know only that it was an ancient Mesopotamian city and the former capital of Babylonia. Certainly, not everyone knows what was happening outside the city gates. Babylon is today an archaeological site in Iraq. In the past, however, it was referred to as the ancient capital of… venereal diseases. The goddess Ishtar contributed to everything, whose cult made Babylon the most dissolute city in the history of the world. What was happening in Babylon, and how was the cult of the goddess Ishtar worshiped? Let's try to unravel this mystery.

In the past, religious rituals were completely different than today. Prayer was not given so much attention in Babylon - sexual intercourse was preferred instead. Supernatural forces were not explained by science but were presented in the form of copulation. Before we get into the spicy details of Babylonian customs, however, it's worth knowing that the goddess Ishtar - also known as Inana or the Lady of Heaven - was the culprit in all this sexual confusion. Ishtar is famous for being the deity of carnal love. Some scientists insist that it should not be so, because Ishtar had a husband Dumuzi - the god of vegetation, crops, and nature. However, their relationship and life together are not exactly described in any book. Perhaps except that Ishtar contributed to Dumuzi's death.

In Babylon, Ishtar was described as the goddess of all love - that is, not only conjugal love. Ishtar was associated with extramarital sex, but also with prostitution, which later became a form of worshiping her cult. Exactly the sixth tablet of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh (the semi-legendary Sumerian king of the city of Unug) indicated that Ishtar was mistreating all her lovers. So one had to be careful not to anger the goddess of love capable of brutal actions - like sending his spouse Dumuzi to the land of death for all eternity. Only because Dumuzi did not miss her after returning from his journey to the world of the dead.

Babylon was formerly the capital of Babylon, lying between the Tigris and Euphrates. For some people, the city is associated with a place of culture and a powerful empire that was famous for its enormous wealth. However, Babylon is most remembered as the land of debauchery, of course, because of the goddess Ishtar. It was she who spoiled Babylon's reputation, and in fact, a fairly specific cult of Ishtar. It was not, of course, that the cult of love or fertility did not exist before. This is undoubtedly one of the oldest beliefs related to religion, for example, mammoth hunters used to create images of shapely women - this is how they adored nature. In ancient times, the Mother Goddess was worshiped as bride, mother, and virgin.

The customs of ancient Babylon were perfectly described by the Greek historian Herodotus, also known as the Father of History. He portrayed the cult of Ishtar in a very blunt way, writing that every woman had to sit at the temple of Ishtar at least once in her life and surrender herself to a foreigner. So many women came to the temple and they lined up - accompanied by the servants. As some left the temples, other women immediately replaced them. It was forbidden to go home from the temple until some stranger had reunited the woman with her body. Herodotus also emphasized that women did not always leave temples quickly. The prettier ones were reportedly returning home quickly, having intercourse with an unknown man, and receiving the goddess's blessing. More than once, the less beautiful ones had to wait several years before they could connect with anyone. Some people dispute Herodotus' words, but no one has ever completely refuted them. Especially since the figure of Ishtar additionally makes Herodotus' observations credible.

The Babylonian customs seemed downright repulsive to those outside Babylon's walls. The Jews referred to the women who went to the temple of Ishtar, for example, "Babylonian harlots." Later this term became a famous term for a symbolic figure in the book of Revelation - functioning as the embodiment of evil and the Antichrist.

The Babylonians really believed that Ishtar was the embodiment of love. That is why they were eager to have sexual relations with people they met. Sex was supposed to ensure both youth and vitality for the couple practicing it. The goddess Ishtar appeared in various forms. As the Epic of Gilgamesh proclaimed, on the new year, Ishtar appeared in the form of mortals and celebrated in the embrace of the gods. That is why Ishtar was imitated by specially trained priestesses and temple maids. The whole ancient world must have heard of them. In addition to the women who came to the temple of Ishtar, gentlemen were also happy to visit. This is where the goddess Ishtar's deputies were "served". The holy prostitutes, as priestesses were called in ancient times, spread the cult of the goddess Ishtar beyond the threshold of the temple. Almost all of them wanted to serve their beloved goddess with dedication, so they also performed a sacred duty outside the temple walls. In this way, she paid tribute to Ishtar, and also ensured herself prosperity and lasting beauty.

It is also interesting that the members of Ishtar were also women who already had husbands. Only when they had sexual intercourse with a stranger could they return to their beloved - enlightened and full of vitality. Other sources also indicate that young girls were sent to the temple of Ishtar before they got married. By devoting themselves to a stranger, they allegedly obtained consent from Ishtar herself so that they could get married. Sexual rapture was therefore to serve not only health but also the sanctification of the wedding. However, the temple games did not go unnoticed, which we will discuss in more detail in a moment.

All because the cult of the goddess Ishtar got beyond Babylon and went north - to Cyprus. It was there that the Greek settlers renamed Ishtar Aphrodite, the goddess who was born out of the seafoam. Interestingly, there are myths in Cyprus that the place where Aphrodite was born was full of blood and ... sperm. It is said that the titan Kronos had drowned his father's severed member earlier in this place. Aphrodite, like Ishtar, was not innocent - she loved a life of bliss. Even in the city of Uruk (an ancient city in southern Mesopotamia), orgies were held in her honor in the past. It can therefore be said that Ishtar started the Cypriot legend of Aphrodite.

But let's go back to Babylon, where the holy prostitutes were treated as exceptional women. When they managed to have intercourse with a strange man, they had no problem finding a husband. And it would all have ended in a beautiful happy end was it not for the fact that casual sex resulted in frequent sexually transmitted diseases. Sexual freedom and the lack of protection meant that people contracted dangerous venereal diseases.

In Babylon, it was believed that sexually transmitted diseases did not come for nothing. It was said that this was a punishment from the goddess Ishtar for those who do not live by divine laws. Ishtar sent such wicked people great pain and the worst diseases, which were said to be the personification of a demon. No doctor could cure these diseases. King Hammurabi himself punished people in a similar way, as he cursed the non-listening society in this way in the famous Code of Hammurabi. It is worth mentioning, however, that venereal diseases were common not only in the temple - but also in the streets, gardens, and fields. So the temple wasn't the only place to catch syphilis or gonorrhea.

Thorwald Jurgen wrote in his book Old Medicine. It's secret and power that in addition to the holy prostitutes in Babylon also acted so-called Kulu - male prostitutes who sexually served not only women but also men. There were also castrated slaves who were dragged into homosexual intercourse, the so-called Eunuchs. In the case of homosexual love, it is not surprising, because it appeared almost everywhere in ancient culture and was completely acceptable. Sometimes it was even preferred over heterosexuality, and this kind of lovemaking was considered unique.

As you can guess, syphilis began to develop very quickly in ancient Babylon after having sex with random people. Sexual ailments became almost something normal, and the inflammation of the intimate tract did not surprise anyone. It was believed, however, that Ishtar was punished for a reason - such as gonorrhea. The man's urine then changed color to "donkey urine". The punishment of the goddess was also to be pus and blood flowing from the male member. Of course, Ishtar also sent suffering to women who did not live according to divine laws.

To deal with ailments of the genital tract, a special tool was invented in Babylon, the so-called upu - in the form of a bronze tube through which the appropriate medicine was introduced into the genitals. It is very possible that during all this Sodom and Gomorrah, an invention was created that is one of the most significant in modern medicine - the catheter. Who would have thought that perhaps it is thanks to Ishtar that modern patients and doctors are much ... simpler?

Bibliography:

• Levin Hanoch: The Great Harlot of Babylon and other mythical plays, Agencja Drama and Teatr ADiT, Warsaw 2015
• Brenot Philippe, Coryn Laetitia: Sex Story. Sex history. From monkeys to robots, Elemental Publishing House, Warsaw 2019
• Stępień Marek: The Hammurabi Code, ALFA Publishing House, Warsaw 2000
• Thorwald Jurgen: Ancient Medicine. Its secrets and power, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Warsaw 2017