| Ishtar
Babylonian/Sumerian
The promiscuous, "virgin" goddess of love and fertility. Ishtar attempted to seize power in the land of the dead. She passed through seven gates enroute, sacrificing an article of clothing at each. When she arrived at the throne of her sister Ereskigal, she was naked. The two goddesses fought; Ereskigal won. She executed Ishtar and hung her corpse on a nail. Procreation stopped until Ishtar was released, on condition that she find a substitute, willing or unwilling. She chose her husband, Dumuzi, the god of vegetation, who was dragged off by demons and forced to live in the underworld for half of the year.
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