Ishtar Rejected: Reading a Mesopotamian Goddess in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite

Abstract

Abstract This paper argues that the poet of the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite crafted his mythical narrative in conscious conversation with contemporary traditions surrounding the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar. The poetic representation of Aphrodite in her encounter with Anchises flirts with characteristics appropriate to Ishtar-personal sexuality, high status within the pantheon, a role as divine patron to mortal kings-only to reject their relevance to Aphrodite. By recognizing that the Greek poet could exert agency in his adaption of Mesopotamian motifs, using them to delimit Aphrodite’s nature within the Greek pantheon, we can perceive the serious conceptual work that the Hymn is doing and the potential use of multicultural models within that process.