7/22/2019 Geshtinanna (goddess)
1/2
Getinanna/Belet-eri (goddess)
Getinanna is an early goddess from southern Mesopotamia. She is
the sister ofDumuzi andappears to be associated with writing and
with the netherworld.
Functions
Getinanna's exact functions remain unclear. It is possible that
she was identified with thegoddess Ama-getin "Mother wine/vine,"
but this has to remain speculative (Edzard 1965: 67).She is
referred to as "mother" (ama) or "old/wise woman" (um-ma), and,
like other goddesses,functions as a dream interpreter (Black and
Green 1998: 88), while her association with thenetherworld is
possibly a secondary development (Edzard 1957-71: 301).
In Sumerian mythology Getinanna is considered to be the god
Dumuzi's sister. She appears inthe tale Dumuzi's Dream, a mourning
song for the dead Dumuzi (Alster 1972; ETCSL 1.4.3. withfurther
literature). The tale recounts an ominous dream, in which Dumuzi
foresees his own death.Much of the tale involves Dumuzi trying to
escape death in the form of demons, while his sister
tries to protect him. Ultimately she is unsuccessful and Dumuzi
dies. The tale Dumuzi andGetinanna (ETCSL 1.4.2) similarly recounts
Dumuzi trying to escape death and his sister tryingto protect him
but ultimately failing.
The tale ofInana's Descent to the Netherworld(ETCSL 1.4.1) also
mentions Getinanna, thoughnot by name. It describes how the goddess
Inana decides to conquer the realm of her sisterErekigal, the
netherworld. Ultimately, Inana succeeds in her endeavor but dies,
which results inprocreation on earth coming to an end. The god
Enki, who often functions as the helper ofhumankind, decides to
help Inana and rescues herfrom death. Yet not even a goddess
canescape death without consequences: she has to find a substitute
to go to the netherworld in herplace. When she comes upon her
hapless husband Dumuzi, who is celebrating instead of
mourning while his wife is dead, she designates him to be her
substitute. Inana then alsodesignates Dumuzi's sister to be his
substitute for six months out of the year.
In various praise poems of king ulgi, Getinanna is also
associated with music and the scribalarts, and in the tale Dumuzi's
Dream she is called a "scribe" and a "singer" by her brotherDumuzi
(ETCSL 1.4.3. ll. 19-24).
[Note that the suggestion that it was Getinanna who took away
Gilgame's toys in the tale ofGilgame, Enkidu, and the
Netherworldturned out to be incorrect after new manuscripts
werediscovered.]
Divine Genealogy and Syncretisms
As mentioned above, Getinanna is the sister ofDumuzi, the
shepherd, which makes her thesister-in-law of the goddess Inana and
the sun-god Utu. She is the daughter of the
goddessDurtur(Turdur/Duttur) (Edzard 1957-71: 300). In the pantheon
of the city-state Laga, she isreferred to as the wife of the god
Ningizida (ibid.). Beginning in the Old Babylonian period, sheis
also identified with the underworld goddess Belet-eri ("Lady of the
steppe") (ibid. 301). Thegoddess Belili is considered to be
Getinanna's sister as well (ibid.).
Cult Place(s)
Getinanna was mainly worshiped in the in southern Mesopotamia
(Edzard 1957-71: 300). Mostof the attestations date to the earlier
periods of Mesopotamian history and her cult seems not tohave
survived the Old Babylonian period, although she continues to
appear in god lists of laterperiods (ibid. 301). There is evidence
that Getinanna was worshiped in the cities ofNippur, Isin,
http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/ningizida/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgghttp://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.3#http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/erekigal/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/erekigal/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/enki/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.1#http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.2#http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#black-green_1998http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1965http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/images/Isin.jpghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/images/Nippur.jpghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/ningizida/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/utu/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgghttp://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.3#http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/enki/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/erekigal/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.1#http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.2#http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-%20bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.3#http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#alster_1972http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#black-green_1998http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1965http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg
7/22/2019 Geshtinanna (goddess)
2/2
and Uruk in the Old Babylonian period (Richter 2004: 162 et
passim).
Time Periods Attested
The earliest attestations of Getinanna date to the Early
Dynastic IIIb period. While her rolechanged during the Old
Babylonian period, she continues to appear in Akkadian literary
andscholarly texts until the Seleucid period, both as Getinanna and
as Belet-eri (see below).
Iconography
Getinanna's iconography is unknown.
Name and Spellings
Getinanna's name literally means "Wine/vine of the heavens/the
godAn." Whether this is in anyway related to her functions is
unclear (Edzard 1957-71: 299-301).
Written Forms:d
etin-an-na,d
TIN-an-na,d
etin;Emesal TT spellings: dmu-tin-an-na, dmu-tin;as Belet-eri:
dbe-let-EDIN
Normalised Forms:Getinanna, Getinanna; Belet-eri
http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/technicalterms/#emesalhttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#edzard_1957-1971http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/an/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#richter_2004http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/images/Uruk.jpg
