The Warka Head As One Of Four Cult Masks of Inanna

 

The Warka Head As One Of Four Cult Masks Of Inanna

Deepta Roy Chakraverti

 

I propose that in the Uruk period which knew Inanna (Inana) by four names ( from the Uruk tablets), a cultic worship existed where each form of the goddess was shown with a different face or mask.  The main body of the deity was kept the same, but the faces and adornments were varied. Thus, the Uruk tablets have brought to light four forms, and each , I propose with a different face.

I suggest the Warka mask is one of four and three others wait to be found in Uruk.

 

Introduction

The mysterious marble mask which goes back 5000 years, is no ordinary carved head. Recovered during excavations in what is modern day Warka, Iraq ,by German archaeologists, this enigmatic sculpture is the oldest depiction of the human face. It was found in the ruins of the temple precincts of the goddess Inanna and is thought to depict the goddess herself. Researchers say that at one time, this mask was attached to a larger base, perhaps the full form of the deity. The body would have been made of various materials like metal, wood and semi-precious stones inlaid.

While the mask itself has been studied over the years, it is of interest to me to view it as one part of a whole.

 

The forms of Inanna at Uruk

In the archaic period, Inanna was worshipped in four forms in the Uruk cult centre. Szarzynska has given these as:

1.      Morning Inanna

2.      Evening Inanna

3.      Princely Inanna

4.      Inanna from Kur

Offering tablets which refer to (3) are the oldest found, going back to Uruk IV, while tablets of (1) and (2) go back to the latter part of the archaic period of Uruk. References to (4) have been found not in offering tablets but in tablets which record economic activity from the last part of the archaic period. Many of the tablets were found in the region of the “Red Temple”.

While the first two forms of Inanna clearly refer to her as Venus, the third one draws reference to the “princely” roots of the goddess, namely her connection with the Annunaki and the Igigi.  The fourth form, of Kur, refers the underworld, from where she returned victorious and can be closely understood with the Descent of Inana.

 

Cultic renewal of the statue

It is a practice in many old cultures of the world, that the deity goes through an annual cycle. Just like the earth shows signs of birth, growth and death, so is the deity, seen to go through a cycle of ascension to highest potency, and then death or a shedding of the old, followed by ritual cleansing and rebirth.

It is these practices which often give rise to great festivals of the gods, and is also seen as an annual renewal of faith and fervour in the devotees.

A practice of cultic renewal of the goddess is likely to add further likelihood to changes in appearance and forms of Inana corresponding with times of year, ceremonies and planetary alignments.

 

The removable nature of the mask

It is a fact that the size and the presence of drill holes at the back of the Warka mask, appear to make allowance for the possibility that at one time it was used in a manner which was removable. Much like in modern days, the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal has the Navadurga masks at the time of the annual Dashain festival which are later immersed in the waters, or clay idols and masks of Durga worshipped at the time of Durga Puja in India.

 

The mask as being the face of a statue of Inana

In this connection, one of the points to consider is, if we look to past myths and legends of Mesopotamia, can we find any reference to the goddess Inana being in the form of a statue?

Buccellati and Gaebelein suggest that the goddess in Descent be seen in form of a specific statue and for that, draw upon Kramer’s translation of Descent :

"0 Father Enlil, let not your daughter be put to death in the Netherworld,

Let not your good metal be covered with the dust of the Netherworld,

Let not your good lapis lazuli be broken up into the stone of the stoneworker,

Let not your boxwood be cut up into the wood of the woodworker..."

This seems to indicate specific material and in such a manner as to imply that their destruction is the destruction of Inanna.i.e. the goddess is made in such a form where material like metal, stone and wood are used.

 

Ritual robing of the statue of Inanna

It is suggested by Buccellati et al, the disrobing sequence referred to in the Descent could refer to an actual statue being disrobed and then again being ritually robed and renewed. 

Oppenheim has talked of ritual robing and how it was an important feature of Mesopotamian deities and Beatrice Jones in much later times, has delved into the many types of garments which have been associated with Inana.

Jones has referred to mythological sources such as Inanna and Enki , and a Balag  hymn, where Inanna is the “Queen of the multi-coloured robe,” and she also wears a black garment. In The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi , she preferred fine linen over coarse wool, and her bridegroom waited while “she covered her body with the royal white robe”.

 

Processions for Inanna

We have thus, in Uruk times, an image of an all-powerful goddess Inanna, worshipped in the form of a magnificent statue, resplendent with semi-precious stones, gold, and fine robes. She has a retinue of priests with their own hierarchy and king, who seeks her blessings for power and victory. Everyday people come to her for love, health, prosperity and all that a great divinity can provide.

It has been suggested by scholars that ritual processions were part of the cultic worship of Inanna. It was part of the ceremonial tradition that Inanna would set out on a journey, stopping at various centres of her worship, and bringing prosperity to that place. It was also a way of ensuring the mark of rulership was reinforced in the name of the king, and that the power of the goddess was reiterated and strengthened so that she and her king not be forgotten. Ritually, the tracing and retracing of a certain path could have had magical importance, as the goddess would have been seen as strengthening her protection of the places she passed and keeping safe and well, all who dwelt within the perimeter marked by the journey.

If we look to other parts of the world as well, wherever there have been powerful deities, ritual journeys have often been seen. For example, the 64 yoginis of Hirapur in India were at one time said to be gramdevis, or local protectresses of the village. As night fell, they would be seen, holding flaming torches and circling the village and keeping all within safe from harm. In Nepal’s Bhaktapur, in the Dashain festivities, the masked Navadurga walk a certain path around the old town and wherever they go, they are said to bring protection and well-being. The well-known Rath Yatra of Jagannath in Puri, India is one of the best known ritual processions of a deity which has survived into modern times.

But , the point is, do we find signs of procession for the goddess in Uruk?

The Uruk Vase found in the same temple precincts of Inanna give signs of ceremonial processions for the goddess. The 40 inch tall vase with three layers of carvings, describes a procession of priests and a kingly figure, carrying baskets of offering to Inanna, or the priestess of Inanna. But the vase does not show the goddess herself on a ritual journey.

For that, we refer to Buccallati who has suggested that in the Sumerian reading of the Descent, when it talks of Inanna abandoning the seven cities one by one, it actually refers to a ritual procession. He refers to the Descent and first gives the names of the cities in the order in which mentioned - Uruk, Badtibira, Zabalam, Adab, Nippur, Kish and Akkad. The direction leads from south to the north west and each city is almost equidistant from each other. So, he suggests that while the point of commencement might well be Uruk, would the end then be Akkad? But if one follows the northward direction further, it leads to Kutha – the Akkadian Netherworld, which in the myth, Inanna is bade welcome to enter. When Inanna returns to Uruk, she follows the same road back.

If a cult statue was carried on a ritual journey beginning at the Uruk cult centre, it is likely that Kutha was the place where the statue was renewed in some form – either a new one made, or the old one repainted and adorned.

 

A living goddess with many forms

So, from Uruk, the first major city of Sumeria, we have a goddess who ruled over the land, in all her manifestations. She was a divine woman, in that she journeyed across her kingdom, she was dressed and given ornaments of the finest forms, changing with perhaps each place or with each form. Days of special ritual were likely meant for special garb and ornamentation. As the manifestation of the goddess brought before the worshipper changed , so did her appearance. And with the change in robes, ornamentation and even places of worship ( as on the ritual journey), it is only natural that the face of the goddess would also be shown as changed, with each manifestation.

 

Conclusion

Centuries ago, the Warka mask was undoubtedly a magnificent and bejewelled object of veneration. One can imagine dark bitumen casting a sheen over the marbled waves of hair, with beaten copper or gold, patterning over it. Earlobes, pierced with small holes, would have had ornate jewels hanging, and obsidian and quartz eyes would have gazed out from beneath even dark brows, spread like the wings of a raven in flight. The mouth, small but firm would have been lightly tinted with colour, but the severity of the set of the mouth would have been broken by the soft swell of the cheeks. A commanding face, but with an almost unwitting nod to kindness. It would have been a face before which people would kneel and pay obeisance. Today, the paint is gone, the fine metals no longer shine in splendour. The jewels have long ago been lost or stolen. Even the eyes have been lost to time and only gouged out holes remain there. And yet, there is magic and enigma in the haunting face which gazes back at the onlooker. Imperious, powerful and enigmatic.

The Warka mask rests today in a glass case, secure in a museum. It waits one day, to be joined by three more.

 

References:

Szarzyńska, Krystyna. “OFFERINGS FOR THE GODDESS INANA IN ARCHAIC URUK.” Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale 87, no. 1 (1993): 7–28.

Buccellati, G. 1983. “The Descent of Inanna as a Ritual Journey to Kutha?” Syro-Mesopotamian Studies 4 (3): 1–7.

Oppenheim, A. Leo. “The Golden Garments of the Gods.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 8, no. 3 (1949): 172–93.

Roy Chakraverti, Ipsita. “Way of the Witch.” Harper Collins Publishers India (2022)