--- product_id: 12609077 title: "Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart : Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess" price: "€ 67.80" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12609077-inanna-lady-of-largest-heart-poems-of-the-sumerian-high store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart : Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess **Price:** € 67.80 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart : Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess - **How much does it cost?** € 67.80 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12609077-inanna-lady-of-largest-heart-poems-of-the-sumerian-high) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The earliest known author of written literature was a woman named Enheduanna, who lived in ancient Mesopotamia around 2300 BCE. High Priestess to the moon god Nanna, Enheduanna came to venerate the goddess Inanna above all gods in the Sumerian pantheon. The hymns she wrote to Inanna constitute the earliest written portrayal of an ancient goddess. In their celebration of Enheduanna's relationship with Inanna, they also represent the first existing account of an individual's consciousness of her inner life. This book provides the complete texts of Enheduanna's hymns to Inanna, skillfully and beautifully rendered by Betty De Shong Meador, who also discusses how the poems reflect Enheduanna's own spiritual and psychological liberation from being an obedient daughter in the shadow of her ruler father. Meador frames the poems with background information on the religious and cultural systems of ancient Mesopotamia and the known facts of Enheduanna's life. With this information, she explores the role of Inanna as the archetypal feminine, the first goddess who encompasses both the celestial and the earthly and shows forth the full scope of women's potential. Review: A Discovery, a Woman, Some Poems, a Celebration - Title: Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna Author: Betty de Shong Meador Publisher: University of Texas Press, Austin ISBN: 978-0-292-75242-9 225 pages. Sometime in the third millennium BCE, in Mesopotamia, a woman was appointed high priestess. Her father, Sargon of Agade, was a king focused on enlarging the realm. This occurred when there were many gods worshipped in Sumer. Agade (Akkad) was well to the north of Ur, where the woman, Enheduanna, was appointed. There was the political question of unifying the kingdom. An idea among some scholars is that, by rallying the populace around one god or goddess, a sort of loyalty could be inspired based on that supremacy. Enheduanna’s poems while interesting in other ways, by proclaiming one deity above all others, can be thought to have a unifying role in the kingdom. Enheduanna’s role in the kingdom, combined with her proclamations about Inanna, a goddess, show a cultural element that puts women in general as potentially all-encompassing and as supremely powerful. One of the points of celebration is that expressing a goddess in these dimensions runs counter to the more confining roles we a exposed to via other ancient civilizations. There is therefore, a sort of mother lode of female majesty and ability that is often downplayed in what we read about in other ancient cultures. The discovery of these poems and their meanings, after all these years, is another aspect of celebration. Ms. Meador is careful to point out throughout the book, the other scholars who have uncovered and made sense out of cuneiform and drawings left to us, and discovered only in the last 100 years. Ms. Meador does this, for example, by tracing her own journey as someone well read, but not knowing much about Inanna, to meeting translators who became colleagues in her effort to interpret the poems. This book covers Enheduanna’s works that were known at the time of its writing. These included 42 poems to temples, and three poems that were hymns to Inanna, which are the book’s focus. Ms. Meador provides background on the theology of the Sumerians and how it tied together the provision and storage of food with the powers of the almighty. So Ms. Meador provides us a walk back in time, and finally a note of celebration in the discovery of how a female deity could have been viewed in third millennium Sumer. Review: a pleasant surprise - The poems were written by Enhudenna, he greatest poet who ever lived, whose work survived centuries and was placed alongside the writings of kings. Her influence probably is even felt today, 27 centuries after she lived and died. An amazing woman, a genius, the first person with whom we can identify a work with a name, and a fine poet to boot. Shakespeare is going strong after four centuries; archeologists found Enhudenna's work to be widely distributed even six centuries after her death and she influenced the form of religious poetry for centuries afterwards. The poems are fascinating; even though stylized, you can appreciate the genius underneath. A fine and unexpected read. Take a chance, you won't be disappointed. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #175,712 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #273 in Ancient & Classical Poetry #410 in Ancient & Medieval Literature #520 in Folklore & Mythology Studies | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 147 Reviews | ## Images ![Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart : Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91PnkjLrREL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Discovery, a Woman, Some Poems, a Celebration *by C***I on November 6, 2022* Title: Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna Author: Betty de Shong Meador Publisher: University of Texas Press, Austin ISBN: 978-0-292-75242-9 225 pages. Sometime in the third millennium BCE, in Mesopotamia, a woman was appointed high priestess. Her father, Sargon of Agade, was a king focused on enlarging the realm. This occurred when there were many gods worshipped in Sumer. Agade (Akkad) was well to the north of Ur, where the woman, Enheduanna, was appointed. There was the political question of unifying the kingdom. An idea among some scholars is that, by rallying the populace around one god or goddess, a sort of loyalty could be inspired based on that supremacy. Enheduanna’s poems while interesting in other ways, by proclaiming one deity above all others, can be thought to have a unifying role in the kingdom. Enheduanna’s role in the kingdom, combined with her proclamations about Inanna, a goddess, show a cultural element that puts women in general as potentially all-encompassing and as supremely powerful. One of the points of celebration is that expressing a goddess in these dimensions runs counter to the more confining roles we a exposed to via other ancient civilizations. There is therefore, a sort of mother lode of female majesty and ability that is often downplayed in what we read about in other ancient cultures. The discovery of these poems and their meanings, after all these years, is another aspect of celebration. Ms. Meador is careful to point out throughout the book, the other scholars who have uncovered and made sense out of cuneiform and drawings left to us, and discovered only in the last 100 years. Ms. Meador does this, for example, by tracing her own journey as someone well read, but not knowing much about Inanna, to meeting translators who became colleagues in her effort to interpret the poems. This book covers Enheduanna’s works that were known at the time of its writing. These included 42 poems to temples, and three poems that were hymns to Inanna, which are the book’s focus. Ms. Meador provides background on the theology of the Sumerians and how it tied together the provision and storage of food with the powers of the almighty. So Ms. Meador provides us a walk back in time, and finally a note of celebration in the discovery of how a female deity could have been viewed in third millennium Sumer. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a pleasant surprise *by S***R on May 14, 2014* The poems were written by Enhudenna, he greatest poet who ever lived, whose work survived centuries and was placed alongside the writings of kings. Her influence probably is even felt today, 27 centuries after she lived and died. An amazing woman, a genius, the first person with whom we can identify a work with a name, and a fine poet to boot. Shakespeare is going strong after four centuries; archeologists found Enhudenna's work to be widely distributed even six centuries after her death and she influenced the form of religious poetry for centuries afterwards. The poems are fascinating; even though stylized, you can appreciate the genius underneath. A fine and unexpected read. Take a chance, you won't be disappointed. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ GREAT POEMS!!! *by N***S on March 28, 2003* As someone intensely interested in Inanna, as well as the ancient Sumerian gods and religeon, this book was exactly what I needed to better understand some of the most important concepts. Three complete poems of Enheduanna are represented here, and just the first one, "Inanna and Mount Ebih," is well worth the price of this book alone. There are many other small poems, little titbits of the ancient Sumerian hymns, which are equally enlightening. The translations, as well as the original texts are beautifully done, reading easily as poetry. If you like goddesses and you like poetry, this is a good thing to check out! I already own "Inanna: Queen of Heaven and of Earth," by Wolkstein, so I am well familiar to Inanna as a goddess of love and warmth. The texts contained in this book are the exact opposite; many show the violent side of Inanna. But this is exactly what is important, because Inanna is a goddess of duality, that symbolizes at many time's man's ancient connection with the spirit and his natural instincts. In ancient Mesopotamia, gods were often feared for their great powers, and harshness upon those that wronged them. Its great to have a new point of view, especially one that is as powerful as this. For the serious student, I'd reccomend getting both books, that way you can have a really clear picture of the glory of Inanna. The author spends a lot of time giving information about the ancient Sumerian customs, which I find to be very useful. For example, the Sumerian marriage rite, which I had never known much about. Now, I do have one complaint about this book. The author tends to include WAY too many references to the Bible, as well as a really strong feminist view point. While this is in fact interesting at times, its taken to the extreme in several places, such as at the end of "Inanna and Mount Ebih." I would say that for those of you that dig gender studies, you'll find it enlightening, but I would have preferred to see more information on the ancient Sumerian way of life. Oh well. Highly reccommended. ## Frequently Bought Together - Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart : Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess - Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer - Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna (Classics and the Ancient World) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12609077-inanna-lady-of-largest-heart-poems-of-the-sumerian-high](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12609077-inanna-lady-of-largest-heart-poems-of-the-sumerian-high) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-09-29*