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When we left her, she was left to face the seven judges of the underworld, as she stood naked before them. When she goes down, she leaves instructions for her messenger Ninshubur to rescue her if she fails to return. The Sumerian goddess Inanna descended into the underworld, guarded by her sister/double Ereshkigal. The hero, indeed, may need to be rescued himself. Sometimes, the hero will require aid from a third party in order to return home from the realm of the supernatural. As we’ve seen, this is often done through the act of swallowing or being swallowed.

This is because all journeys are ultimately about identifying and conquering a new aspect of the self. The hero often finds the monster to be an aspect of themselves. Indeed, duality is a common theme in mythology. The dual image of the two sisters, goddess Inanna and Ereshkigal, is important. At each of the seven gates of this hell, Inanna is ordered by the gatekeeper to remove a part of her clothing-in due course, she removes her crown, rod, necklace, stones, breastplate, ring, and garments, finally presenting herself naked before the judges of the underworld. The goddess Inanna goes down to the underworld, guarded by her sister (and enemy) Ereshkigal. The oldest story of descent into the world of death comes from the world’s first civilization-the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq. Sumerian Goddess Inanna and the Hero’s Journey In doing so, she earns the elixir of mortality, which will enable her to live with Cupid forever in Paradise.

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Psyche’s last supernatural helper, a high tower, instructs her how to safely go down into the underworld and gives her charms and amulets to ward off the demons and hell-hounds she will encounter there. There are many parallels between Psyche and the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

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In her final and most fearsome task, Psyche is told to descend into the underworld and bring back a box full of supernatural beauty. Once again, she’s aided by an eagle who helps her fetch the water.

Next, Psyche must retrieve water from a spring at the top of a high mountain guarded by dragons.

Fortunately, a green reed shows her how to obtain the wool without being poisoned.

Next, Psyche must collect golden wool from a flock of wild sheep whose bites carry deadly venom.

Thankfully, an army of ants helps Psyche accomplish her task (supernatural aid).

First, she orders Psyche sort an enormous quantity of foodstuffs before night.

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Venus beats Psyche and orders her to conduct a series of tasks: In the ancient Roman novel Metamorphoses, Psyche pleads with the goddess Venus to release her lover Cupid (the goddess’ son) so that the two can be married. In mythology, the hero’s journey often requires entering the underworld or the land of the dead. This will be important to understanding the story of Inanna. Descent into the Underworldīefore we look at the story of the Sumerian goddess Inanna, let’s look at one common feature of mythology: the descent into the underworld. We’ll cover the Sumerian goddess Inanna’s journey to the underworld and how it conforms to the template of the hero’s journey. Who is the goddess Inanna? How does Inanna’s journey to the underworld follow the hero’s journey, as described in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces?

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This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell.