Inanna is the Sumerian Goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is the daughter of the moon God Nanna and Ningal, Goddess of dreams. Interestingly, as a love and fertility Goddess, Inanna is never identified as a mother; she is the original sex Goddess, focussed on pleasure rather than procreation. As such, she is also the patron Goddess of prostitutes.

Inanna was also a kingmaker—the man she chose to be her husband would be king. She was courted by two men, the shepherd Dumuzi and the farmer Enkidu. These two men were representative of the two predominant ways of life in Sumeria—nomadic animal herders and settled farmers. Inanna at first goes with the conventional choice, the farmer, until Dumuzi comes to her and tells her of his qualities. She then accepts him, and Dumuzi becomes king to Inanna’s queen.