Inanna in the Sky

By Bryan Crowson

Lighting the path for the Moon, Venus sets in the west above our house in Gardendale this evening. Venus is the light of Inanna, Queen of Heaven in Sumerian mythology. It thrilled me to see her in the sky tonight. She is the subject of one of my best art pieces, Night of Inanna. It is based on a nearly 4,000-year-old Babylonian sculpture known as the Queen of the Night, or the Burney Relief, which is displayed in The British Museum. The goddess Inanna was also called Ishtar by the Babylonians. Model Taylor Rickel is featured in my interpretation.

The moon follows Venus as she sets in the west above our house in Gardendale.

The Queen of the Night, also known as the Burney Relief, is a Babylonian sculpture that is nearly 4,000 years old. It is displayed in The British Museum. The Sumerian goddess Inanna was known as Ishtar to the Babylonians.

My artwork Night of Inanna, featuring model Taylor Rickel. As in the Burney Relief, the goddess stands on two Asiatic lions, and she is flanked by two barn owls. I based her wings upon those of barn owls. The rosette flowers beside the lions are symbols of Inanna. Her tiered horned crown was a symbol of a major deity in Mesopotamian art. The hoop and rod devices in her hands are thought to be measuring devices, which the goddess used to gauge the worthiness of souls who stood before her. Her necklace is based on that of Queen Puabi of Ur, whose jewelry is on display in the Penn Museum. The scalloped landscape is how mountains were represented in Mesopotamian art. Below her owl-talon feet, I have inscribed her name in cuneiform.

Would Night of Inanna be an inspiring decoration for your pagan or Wiccan altar, or to preside over a mythology buff's study?