Consort to Ishtar? No Thank You Very Much!

I pulled this nifty diagram of The Hero's Journey off another site. (As with most images on this blog, clicking on it will link you right to the source.)

For today's class we read Gilgamesh, the story of a Mesopotamian king who starts out as a bit of a pain in the rear and ultimately goes on a long journey during which he becomes a decent person and gains vast amounts of knowledge to bring back to his people. I must say the best part of the story (which occurs during the "Challenges and Temptations" portion of the above diagram) was where the hero Gilgamesh meets the goddess Ishtar and refuses to marry her.

Basically, Ishtar decides that Gilgamesh is pretty hot stuff (as well she should - by all accounts he was a hunk) and so she entreats him to come and marry her. Being the fertility goddess, she has quite a bit going for her. Still, Gilgamesh refuses. Even before he goes into his long explanation, we can all guess why. We've read about this woman before.

Gilgamesh's reply is just too fantastic not to repeat:

"'And why should I marry you?' Gilgamesh asked. 'You have harmed everyone you ever loved!... You are like a pan of hot coals that go out in the cold. You are like a back door that fails to keep out the blasts of a tempest. You are like a palace that crushes the king within it. You are like a headdress that does not cover the head. You are like an elephant that shakes off its carpet. You are like a pitch that blackens the one who carries it. You are like a waterskin that soaks the person who carries it. You are like a limestone rock that falls from a stone wall. You are like a shoe that pinches the foot of the one who wears it.'"

Pure awesomeness. And there you have it: hieros gamos from the consort's perspective. ;)