![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Descent of Inanna is one of the oldest existing texts. It is the story of how the great goddess Inanna descends into the Underworld and returns to the land of the living. Like many takes of descent into Hell, Inanna goes through an ordeal, and comes out with knowledge.
I think that the seventh Harry Potter book will be Harry Potter In the Underworld.
Harry, of course, will be Inanna, full of power and looking to gain knowledge to defeat Voldemort. He will have his skills, his magical tools, and his courage – but they will not be enough.
He will need Hermione, who maps onto Ninshubur the faithful companion, and Ron, who maps onto either Dumuzi, Inanna's husband, or Lulal, her warrior son. Telling them both of his plan, he asks them to wait three days before going to the Order if he doesn't come back.
He gathers his tools – wand, broomstick, Invisibility Cloak, Map, perhaps Fawkes, etc. - and sets out on his quest.
When Harry walks into the underworld, the kur or enemy territory, he is greeted at the gates of Hell by the gatekeeper. Neti in the original, this should be Sirius, trapped by the Veil and bound to the Underworld.
Sirius would not have the authority to let Harry into the Underworld, especially under these circumstance (ie Harry is NOT dead), but would have to ask Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld for permission and instruction.
Of course, Snape is the HP character who maps to Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Thankless Tasks. More than anything, Ereshkigal is Inanna's dark shadow, and Snape is certainly all the things Harry doesn't want to acknowledge about himself. He is also a liminial, ambiguous character, who teaches and torments.
Harry is stripped of one of his tools each time he passes through a gate in the Underworld. By the time he reaches the throne room of the Underworld, he is naked and brought low.
And then he has to face Snape/Ereshkigal, who is NOT happy. In the original text, Ereshkigal is mourning the death of her husband, Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven. In HP, Snape is mourning the death of Dumbledore, who he had to take as Ereshkigal had to take Gugalanna – reluctantly and full of anger at fate. This is not the right time for Harry/Inanna to barge in seeking knowledge.
Snape/Ereshkigal allows the Annuna, the judges of the Underworld to surround Harry and pass judgement against him. The Annuna almost certainly map to the Death Eaters.
Snape speaks the word of wrath against Harry, and Harry is turned into a corpse, a piece of rotting meat hung on a hook on the wall.
After three days, Hermione in her role as Ninshubur, sets up mourning for Harry and tries to beg aid. She goes to Scrimmegour, who maps as Enlil, Inanna's grandfather, and asks for aid. Scrimmegour refuses, saying Harry got himself into it.
Hermione then goes to Minerva McGonagall, who maps to Nanna, Inanna's father. Minerva McGonagall refuses, saying Harry got himself into it.
Finally, Hermione goes to Arthur Weasley in the hopes that he can influence the Order into helping. Arthur maps to Enki, God of Wisdom and a trickster figure. He agrees to help.
In the original, Enki creates the kurgarra, a creature neither male nor female (a man who is not a man) and the galatur, a creature neither male nor female (a woman who is not a woman). In HP, Arthur calls for Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, and asks them to help.
Giving them the Water of Life and the Food of Life, Enki set the kurgarra and the galatur to sneak into the Underworld and overcome Ereshkigal with sympathy. Arthur sends Remus and Tonks after Harry in the hopes that they can reason with Snape.
It takes some convincing, and actually commiseration with Snape's unhappiness on Tonks and Lupin's parts, but they finally win Snape around to releasing Harry.
But Harry cannot escape the Underworld without cost. He owes someone to the Underworld to replace him. And the galla, the demons of the Underworld who do not eat, drink, accept no offerings, libations or gifts, follow him to make sure he gives the Underworld someone in his place. In other world, the Dementors want their due.
Harry as Inanna refuses to give Hermione. In her role as Ninshubur, she did as he commanded; by waiting for three days and then going for help, she rescued Harry. Harry refuses to give up Lulal (Ron or maybe Neville?) and Sharra (Ginny) who have been faithful
He does give up the Dumuzi figure, who he loves but who has NOT been working in Harry's interests while Harry has been going under his ordeal. I hate to say it, but I think this will be Ron. Ron has already shown a tendency to get distracted and work against Harry, even under serious circumstances. The other possibility is that whoever is Harry's love interest at the time, whether or not Harry is actually involved with that person, will be the one sacrificed.
Harry will come out with knowledge to do as he must.
Oh, and one other thing...
It’s possible that this is a parallel descent, with both Harry and Voldemort racing each other to the Underworld to beat each other to the knowledge they need for victory. Voldemort will lose, not because he doesntt have the strength or the speed, but because he has no one to plead for him the way Harry does.
I think that the seventh Harry Potter book will be Harry Potter In the Underworld.
Harry, of course, will be Inanna, full of power and looking to gain knowledge to defeat Voldemort. He will have his skills, his magical tools, and his courage – but they will not be enough.
He will need Hermione, who maps onto Ninshubur the faithful companion, and Ron, who maps onto either Dumuzi, Inanna's husband, or Lulal, her warrior son. Telling them both of his plan, he asks them to wait three days before going to the Order if he doesn't come back.
He gathers his tools – wand, broomstick, Invisibility Cloak, Map, perhaps Fawkes, etc. - and sets out on his quest.
When Harry walks into the underworld, the kur or enemy territory, he is greeted at the gates of Hell by the gatekeeper. Neti in the original, this should be Sirius, trapped by the Veil and bound to the Underworld.
Sirius would not have the authority to let Harry into the Underworld, especially under these circumstance (ie Harry is NOT dead), but would have to ask Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld for permission and instruction.
Of course, Snape is the HP character who maps to Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Thankless Tasks. More than anything, Ereshkigal is Inanna's dark shadow, and Snape is certainly all the things Harry doesn't want to acknowledge about himself. He is also a liminial, ambiguous character, who teaches and torments.
Harry is stripped of one of his tools each time he passes through a gate in the Underworld. By the time he reaches the throne room of the Underworld, he is naked and brought low.
And then he has to face Snape/Ereshkigal, who is NOT happy. In the original text, Ereshkigal is mourning the death of her husband, Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven. In HP, Snape is mourning the death of Dumbledore, who he had to take as Ereshkigal had to take Gugalanna – reluctantly and full of anger at fate. This is not the right time for Harry/Inanna to barge in seeking knowledge.
Snape/Ereshkigal allows the Annuna, the judges of the Underworld to surround Harry and pass judgement against him. The Annuna almost certainly map to the Death Eaters.
Snape speaks the word of wrath against Harry, and Harry is turned into a corpse, a piece of rotting meat hung on a hook on the wall.
After three days, Hermione in her role as Ninshubur, sets up mourning for Harry and tries to beg aid. She goes to Scrimmegour, who maps as Enlil, Inanna's grandfather, and asks for aid. Scrimmegour refuses, saying Harry got himself into it.
Hermione then goes to Minerva McGonagall, who maps to Nanna, Inanna's father. Minerva McGonagall refuses, saying Harry got himself into it.
Finally, Hermione goes to Arthur Weasley in the hopes that he can influence the Order into helping. Arthur maps to Enki, God of Wisdom and a trickster figure. He agrees to help.
In the original, Enki creates the kurgarra, a creature neither male nor female (a man who is not a man) and the galatur, a creature neither male nor female (a woman who is not a woman). In HP, Arthur calls for Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, and asks them to help.
Giving them the Water of Life and the Food of Life, Enki set the kurgarra and the galatur to sneak into the Underworld and overcome Ereshkigal with sympathy. Arthur sends Remus and Tonks after Harry in the hopes that they can reason with Snape.
It takes some convincing, and actually commiseration with Snape's unhappiness on Tonks and Lupin's parts, but they finally win Snape around to releasing Harry.
But Harry cannot escape the Underworld without cost. He owes someone to the Underworld to replace him. And the galla, the demons of the Underworld who do not eat, drink, accept no offerings, libations or gifts, follow him to make sure he gives the Underworld someone in his place. In other world, the Dementors want their due.
Harry as Inanna refuses to give Hermione. In her role as Ninshubur, she did as he commanded; by waiting for three days and then going for help, she rescued Harry. Harry refuses to give up Lulal (Ron or maybe Neville?) and Sharra (Ginny) who have been faithful
He does give up the Dumuzi figure, who he loves but who has NOT been working in Harry's interests while Harry has been going under his ordeal. I hate to say it, but I think this will be Ron. Ron has already shown a tendency to get distracted and work against Harry, even under serious circumstances. The other possibility is that whoever is Harry's love interest at the time, whether or not Harry is actually involved with that person, will be the one sacrificed.
Harry will come out with knowledge to do as he must.
Oh, and one other thing...
It’s possible that this is a parallel descent, with both Harry and Voldemort racing each other to the Underworld to beat each other to the knowledge they need for victory. Voldemort will lose, not because he doesntt have the strength or the speed, but because he has no one to plead for him the way Harry does.
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
From:
no subject
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:From:
no subject
Incidentally, I've always found the Epic of Gilgamesh to be quite an interesting text as well, especially the section where Gilgamesh wins the flower of eternal youth from Utnapishtim the Faraway (I love that name) and then loses it to the serpent, and realises that he, Gilgamesh, must one day die just like his closest friend Enkidu. It is only then that Gilgamesh really begins to appreciate life.
Intersting stuff and fascinating tales. Hopefully JKR has encouraged people to have a look at some mythology.
(no subject)
From:From:
no subject
(no subject)
From:From:
no subject
I love the Inanna/Ishtar descent (although know loads less then you do!)