In the shimmering dawn of recorded history, when empires were still learning the language of permanence, a singular voice rose from the sacred heart of Mesopotamia. Her name was Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon the Great, the founder of the Akkadian Empire. Born in Ur around 2300 BCE, she inherited the weight of a father’s ambition but transformed it into something uniquely her own: a voice that fused the divine with the human, echoing across time.

Around 2300 BCE, Enheduanna was appointed as the high priestess of the Moon god Nanna at the temple in Ur, a major city in southern Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq. Her father, Sargon of Akkad, known for his ambition and military prowess, understood the value of placing his daughter in this role. As high priestess, Enheduanna could bridge the Akkadian and Sumerian cultures, cementing her father’s political influence over Sumer. But for Enheduanna, this role went beyond politics; it was a calling, a sacred duty, and a source of personal expression.

As the entu (high priestess) of the moon god Nanna, she held immense power and influence. Her position allowed her to bridge the gap between the divine and the human realm, making her a central figure in the religious and cultural life of her time.

Her role as high priestess was multifaceted. Enheduanna led religious ceremonies, offered sacrifices, and represented the people before Nanna, the Moon god. But her influence reached beyond ritual. Her position granted her economic power, allowing her to manage temple finances and oversee the vast lands owned by the temple. As both a priestess and royal figure, Enheduanna was in a unique position to shape the religious, political, and cultural landscapes of her time.

While Enheduanna’s official role was devoted to Nanna, her personal devotion lay with the goddess Inanna, known in Akkadian as Ishtar. Inanna was a complex deity embodying dualities—love and war, beauty and destruction, creation and ruin. For Enheduanna, Inanna was a divine force who represented feminine power and resilience. This devotion found its expression in poetry, and Enheduanna’s works are among the oldest surviving examples of literary composition.

Enheduanna is celebrated as the world’s first-known author. Her literary works, composed in the Sumerian language, are a testament to her poetic talent and theological insight. She penned hymns, prayers, and myths that delved into the complexities of the divine and human worlds. Her most famous work, “Exaltation of Inanna,” is a poignant exploration of the goddess Inanna’s journey to the underworld.

In her most famous work, The Exaltation of Inanna, Enheduanna praises Inanna with vivid, emotional language, painting her as both a benevolent protector and a fierce warrior. It is in this text that Enheduanna famously includes herself as the speaker, the “I” who voices adoration, despair, and reverence—a strikingly personal tone unseen in earlier religious texts. “I, Enheduanna, will speak of my own personal pain,” she declares, sharing her story and her devotion to Inanna in a manner that makes her humanity leap from the ancient text.

Enheduanna’s writings reflect her deep understanding of the Sumerian pantheon and its intricate mythology. She skillfully weaves together narratives of love, loss, and divine power, creating a rich tapestry of religious and cultural significance. Her works not only provide valuable insights into the beliefs and practices of ancient Mesopotamia but also showcase her ability to articulate complex ideas with poetic beauty.

Enheduanna’s life was not without hardship. During her tenure, a powerful rival emerged: Lugalanne, king of Ur, who sought to undermine her position. In a dramatic struggle, Lugalanne succeeded in ousting her from her post as high priestess, exiling her from the temple. This period of exile was deeply traumatic for Enheduanna, and in The Exaltation of Inanna, she provides a first-person account of her suffering and loss:

In The Exaltation of Inanna, Enheduanna included astonishing autobiographical details such as her struggle against a certain Lugalanne, most likely the historically attested king of Ur, who attempted to forcefully remove her from her office:

Yes, I took up my place in the sanctuary dwelling,
I was high priestess, I, Enheduanna.
Though I bore the offering basket, though I chanted the hymns,
A death offering was ready, was I no longer living?
I went towards light, it felt scorching to me,
I went towards shade, it shrouded me in swirling dust.
A slobbered hand was laid across my honeyed mouth,
What was fairest in my nature was turned to dirt.
O Moon-god Suen, is this Lugalanne my destiny?
Tell heaven to set me free of it!
Just say it to heaven! Heaven will set me free!
[…]

When Lugalanne stood paramount, he expelled me from the temple,
He made me fly out the window like a swallow, I had had my taste of life,
He made me walk a land of thorns.
He took away the noble diadem of my holy office,
He gave me a dagger: ‘This is just right for you,’ he said.

Enheduanna, the high priestess, found herself cast out, stripped of her titles, and cast into a desolate land. She describes her feelings of betrayal and isolation, lamenting that her dignity, her “noble diadem,” had been taken from her. In her desperation, she turns to Inanna, appealing not just as a priestess but as a woman who has been wronged. In a moment of profound vulnerability, she pleads with Inanna, expressing a deep faith that the goddess would hear her cries and restore her to her rightful place.

Her pleas did not go unanswered. Inanna, the powerful goddess of love and war, intervened on Enheduanna’s behalf. Through her poems, Enheduanna records her restoration with triumphant relief and gratitude. She writes of how Inanna’s intervention ultimately led to her reinstatement, symbolizing divine justice prevailing over human pettiness. Enheduanna’s return to the temple was not only a personal victory but also a testament to the might of Inanna. Her compositions speak of the goddess’s favor and strength, reinforcing Inanna’s preeminent status among the gods.

Upon her reinstatement, Enheduanna paid tribute to Inanna, composing poems that exalted the goddess’s qualities—her beauty, power, and mercilessness in battle. In one passage, Enheduanna poetically describes Inanna’s arrival:

The almighty queen, who presides over the priestly congregation,
She accepted her prayer.
Inanna’s sublime will was for her restoration.
It was a sweet moment for her [Inanna], she was arrayed in her finest, she was beautiful beyond compare,
She was lovely as a moonbeam streaming down.
Nanna stepped forward to admire her.
Her divine mother, Ningal, joined him with her blessing,
The very doorway gave its greeting too.
What she commanded for her consecrated woman prevailed.
To you, who can destroy countries, whose cosmic powers are bestowed by Heaven.
To my queen arrayed in beauty, to Inanna be praise!

Enheduanna’s contributions to literature and religion have left an enduring legacy. Her works have been studied and analyzed by scholars for centuries, offering invaluable insights into the ancient world. She serves as an inspiration to women and men alike, demonstrating the power of human creativity and the enduring nature of the written word.

This poem was the culmination of her struggle, a cry that she no longer could keep inside. In fact, she added a remarkable line about her own creative process, stating that she has “given birth” to this poem:

One has heaped up the coals (in the censer), prepared the lustration.
The nuptial chamber awaits you, let your heart be appeased!
With ‘it is enough for me, it is too much for me!’ I have given birth, oh exalted lady, (to this song) for you.
That which I recited to you at (mid)night
May the singer repeat it to you at noon! 

Enheduanna’s literary contributions extend beyond her personal struggles. She compiled temple hymns that celebrated various Mesopotamian sanctuaries, linking the religious centres of the north and south and fostering a unified spiritual identity. These hymns reflect both her devotion and her father’s aspirations for a cohesive empire.

Enheduanna also compiled short temple hymns that praised various Mesopotamian sanctuaries. There she articulated a unified religious landscape by connecting the temples of southern Mesopotamia with those in the north, perhaps in line with the broader political aspirations of her father. The postscript to the last hymn attributes its compilation to Enheduanna:

The compiler of this tablet is Enheduanna.
My king, something has been produced that no person had produced before. 

Her portrayal of Inanna left a lasting impact on Mesopotamian culture. Under her influence, the cult of Inanna became integral to the Akkadian dynasty, with her nephew Naram-Sin declaring that he ruled by Ishtar’s favour. Through Enheduanna’s works, Inanna rose in prominence, becoming a fierce protector of kings, a symbol of royal power, and a goddess who embodied the Akkadian Empire’s might.

Enheduanna’s literary techniques and themes resonated long after her time. Her writings are the first to feature a first-person narrative, combining personal emotion with divine reverence. By invoking the “I” in her poetry, she introduced a voice in literature that would echo for millennia, marking the beginning of recorded human self-expression.

While Enheduanna is widely recognized as the world’s first named author, some scholars debate the extent of her personal authorship. Some argue that her works may have been composed by scribes under her direction or that she may have simply adopted the role of author to legitimize her religious authority. Nevertheless, her name is inextricably linked to these works, and her influence on Mesopotamian literature is undeniable.

Enheduanna’s words remain alive, centuries after her death, as a testament to courage, devotion, and literary genius. She reminds us that power and expression are not mutually exclusive, and that women in history have long shaped the soul of civilizations.

In Enheduanna, we do not merely encounter the first author—we encounter the first human voice that speaks across the millennia, insisting that emotion, faith, and intellect are inseparable threads of our shared story.

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Hat Tip: The Morgan Library & Museum