Inanna: Descent and Return

Mesopotamia · c. 1900 BCE

Inanna, radiant as Venus, chose to descend — surrendering her crown, her robes, her power — to face her shadow in the underworld. Her return marked one of the earliest myths of death and rebirth. Once a goddess of fertility and love, she later bore the mantle of war — a reflection of changing worlds. But always, she was the one who chose.