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231 ously Ereshkigal was not willing to take chances. And so it was, we believe, that after harsh words between the sisters, Inanna was hauled before a hastily convened court of "seven Anunnaki who judge," was found in violation of the rules, and was summarily hung on a stake to die a slow death. She survived only because her father-in-law, Enki, on hearing the terrible news, rushed two emis- saries to save her. "Upon the corpse they directed that which pul- sates and that which radiates"; they administered to her the "water of life" and the "food of life," and "Inanna arose." Back in Sumer the revived Inanna, heartbroken and lonely, spent her time on the banks of the Euphrates River, tending a_ wild- aad When at last shall I have a holy throne. that I may sit on it? When at last shall I have a holy bed, that I may lie on it? Concerning this Inanna spoke... . She who let her hair down is ill at heart; The pure Inanna. Oh how she weeps! One who had taken pity on—and a liking to—Inanna was her great-grandfather, Anu. It is known from Sumerian texts that Inanna, who was bor on Earth, "went up to Heaven" at least once; it is also known that Anu had visited Earth on several occa- sions. When and where exactly did Anu embrace Inanna as _ his Anunitum ("Beloved of Anu") is not clear, but it was more than mere Sumerian gossip when texts hinted that the love between Anu and his great-granddaughter was more than platonic. Assured thus of sympathy at the highest level, Inanna raised the issue of a dominion, a "land," to rule over. But where? The treatment meted out to Inanna, whatever its reasons, made it clear that she could not expect to attain a dominion in Africa. Her spouse Dumuzi was dead, and with him died her claims to queen- ship in the lands of Enki's descendants. If her suffering and pre- vailing over a major god entitled her to a dominion of her own, it had to be elsewhere. But Mesopotamia, too, and the lands _bor- dering on Mesopotamia were all spoken for. Where could Inanna be given dominion? Casting their eyes about, the gods came up with an answer. The texts dealing with the death of Dumuzi, as well as with the imprisonment of Marduk. mention the names of Sumerian cities "A Queen Am I!" growing tree and voicing her sorrows: