Ishtar 101

Ishtar symbolizes a lot in Mesopotamian society. She is a goddess of love but she also transforms into a goddess of war. At first, she comes across as very inoccent when Gilgamesh turns her down and criticizes her of doing terrible things. Then she gets her revenge on Ishmael by sending a bull to attack him. Here she transforms into a goddess of war. I think that her being a goddess of love and transforming into a goddess of war shows that sometimes, with love, there is also conflict. Love doesn't necessarily create happiness, it can sometimes alter relationships with other people, or if it is unrequited love it can create lots of conflict. Her being a goddess of love and war symbolizes that love isn't perfect as it sometimes portrayed as and it has conquences, some good some bad.
When Ishtar descends into the lower world, she gives up her belongings along the way. After Ishtar's descent, problems in the society occur so she is released from the lower world and her belongings are returned to her. I think her descent symbolizes that when you do a bad deed, there are many consequences. Other than the obvious consequences, like the punishments (prison, etc.), there are also personal consequences. When you commit a bad deed, many emotions like guilt and self-hatred can follow, and slowly you began to lose your identity. When Ishtar descends, her belongings are taken away, but in reality, more than belongings are taken away when you descend to hell. You also lose your soul and your identity. When she is released from the underworld, I think this represents the significance of forgivness in the society. It shows that although they believed in good and bad and rewarding the good and punishing the bad, they also had some sense of forgivness of sins.