Apparitions of Mary, Part III, Inanna of Sumer

It’s interesting how ancient Sumerian documents are all the rage in UFO studies these days. UFO scholars actually take the legends seriously as echoing actual interaction between aliens and humans, whereas they don't take the biblical narrative seriously at all. They tend to cherrypick through the stories in Genesis, dismissing the author's message and telling their readers what really happened and why. In other words, they take what they assume are biblical myths and use them as a launching pad for their own. 

The goddess Inanna's title in Uruk, her cult center, was Queen of Heaven. The comparison I am drawing between Inanna and the apparition at Fatima does not indicate that I think Inanna was a real goddess and that she has returned as Mary. I just want to point out the similarity of devotion between Inanna’s worshipers and that of the so-called Blessed Virgin. But, well, the more I point it out the more it seems not so crazy. It appears to me that Mary, also the Queen of Heaven, desiring basilicas, statues, medals, scapulars in her honor, declaring to be the "Mediatrix of all Grace" is vying for the very power and status that worshipers attributed to Inanna, placing Inanna over the very gods that gave her authority.

Inanna is an ancient Sumerian goddess who may have been worshiped in the early Uruk era (4,000-3,100 B.C.E.). To the later Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, she was Ishtar, the goddess of love, war, politics, fertility, etc. She had a reputation of taking over the region of influence of other gods and was wrathful to those who disrespected her.

A document that particularly caught my attendion is called “The Exaltation of Inanna,” translated by William Hallo, and can be found in The Context of Scripture, Vol. I, Canonical Compositions, edited by William Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Jr., Brill, 519-522.

This psalm of exaltation was written by Enheduanna, the actual daughter of Sargon the Great. She is so far the first non-anonymous ancient author that we know of. She was a priestess who was pleading for Inanna’s help against her enemies, men who worshiped Nanna the moon god. Portions of verse 1,

"Lady of all the divine attributes, resplendent light, Righteous woman clothed in radiance, beloved of Heaven and Earth, Hierodule of An, . . . You have picked up the divine attributes, you have hung the divine attributes on your hand, You have gathered up the divine attributes, you have clasped the divine attributes to your breast."

I could not help, as I read this, but think of Mary with the rosary draped over her hands and the image of her Immaculate Heart on her breast. Mary has become her own Trinity in a way. She is the Mediatrix of all graces, the Mother of Earth, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the Universe, Queen of Heaven. I’ll write more about that in my next post. She heals the sick, and becomes a doorway to God. She claims to be the Bearer of Light. She is the Immaculate Conception, and she portrays an Immaculate Heart. (See the two previous posts) But don’t cross her. Offenses against the Eternal Father, her Son Jesus, or against her or the Church will result in severe punishment, such as a flaming comet, the Ball of Redemption, that will cleanse the Earth by annihilating most of the human race. Before that will be a plague taking the lives of many children. Then will come WW III. In that sense, she and Inanna are alike. Enheduanna continues:

"Like a dragon, you have deposited venom on the foreign land. When you roar at the earth like Thunder, no vegetation can stand up to you. . . . Raining the flaming fire down upon the nation, Endowed with divine attributes by An, lady mounted on a beast, Who makes decisions at the holy command of An."

The city of Uruk displeased her ladyship because the people would not dedicate themselves to her. She left the city and cursed the inhabitants to barrenness. The lines below are almost a perfect echo of Mary’s insistence that Russia be publically dedicated to her Immaculate Heart.

"Because the city has not declared ‘The land is yours,’ Because they have not declared ‘It is your father’s, your begettor’s,' You have spoken your holy command, have verily turned it back from your path, Have verily removed your foot from out of its byre."

Even Mary’s special birth, her Immaculate Conception, free from original, sin is echoed in this psalm.

"You of the appropriate divine attributes, great lady of ladies, Issued from the holy womb, supreme over the mother who bore you, Omniscient sage, lady of all the foreign lands, Sustenance of the multitudes, I have verily recited your sacred song!"

Enheduanna addresses Inanna in the same manner that Catholics address Mary.

"Let me, Enheduanna, recite a prayer to her. My tears like sweet drink. Let me give free vent to for the holy Inanna, Let me say ‘Hail!’ to her!" (Sound familiar?)

Of course, there is one appellation given to Inanna that we won’t hear attributed to Mary. Enheduanna called her affectionately, “My impetuous wild cow.” After listing her persecutions, Enheduanna continues,

"Of the heavenly foundations and zenith you are the 'senior' queen. The Anunna have submitted to you. From birth on you were the 'junior' queen. Over the great gods, the Anunna, how supreme you are. The Anunna with their lips kiss the ground (in obeisance) to you."

So Mary received a heavenly promotion. What angel could not worship "the woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head." (Rev. 12:1) The junior queen would be revered, but the senior queen has serious divine authority. I have to admit, one has to bend that passage like a pretzel to not ascribe the woman to Mary. The woman bears a manchild who is taken up to heaven, so Catholic theologians who claim that the woman is Mary do have a point. My take is that the woman is Zion/the Church, the greater Body of Christ. The final doxology reads,

"For that her (Enheduanna’s) speaking to the Hierodule (Inanna) was exalted – (To) the devastatrix (female devastator) of the foreign lands, endowed with divine attributes from An, (To) my lady wrapped in beauty, (to) Inanna, Praise!"

Of course, the similarities between Inanna and Mary don’t negate the possibility that our Mary is who she says she is. However, it bothers me that Mary, for all the denials of the Catholics, has practically pushed Jesus aside and taken His Messiah role onto herself. I just don't think Mary would do that, but the devil would. There is no biblical support for adding Mary to the divine godhead. It's like a president arising who is so appealing and powerful that he suspends the Constitution of the US because he is all and all and will take care of everything.

We will see in a future post that the apparition of Mary of Bayside, NY, a contemporary of Mary of Medjugorje, is very controlling, old fashioned, melodramatic, and absolutely abusive in demanding that rosaries be said, sacrifices be made, atonement be offered, sanctuaries be built, medals and scapulars in her honor be worn for protection, etc. Modernization is taboo for Mary of Bayside, NY. There are so many reasons to be damned to hell and burn forever that one can hardly categorize it all. Bayside Mary split the Catholic Church and terrorized the devout. 

As for the veracity of Sumerian documents, they reflect the fact that people of ancient times had to deal with the same devils, ghosts and gods that we do. These same entities are reflected in the Bible, which UFO researchers love to ignore. These ancient entities are very deceptive and manipulative. One of the most effective ways to manipulate humans is through religion. The devil just loves religion. But God the Eternal Father loves virtue over religion. He loves us. He wants to be loved by us and He wants us to love one another. He wants us to walk humbly before Him and do what is right. After that, most religious stuff is just fluff.