Explicit sex as magical protection in Mesopotamia

In the past, images of sex or genitalia were not taboo, but were displayed naturally, as they still are in some parts of the world. Mesopotamia was no different, but the tablets on which they appeared had an additional magical power.

For Mesopotamian civilizations, the liminal had a magical power, understanding as liminal the limits between one area and another, between what is seen and what is not. These were not limited to the usual doors, windows or intersections, but included shrines, taverns, tablets, beds and the sexually aroused body, among others. Therefore, attempts were made to use these portals in a way that would maximize the benefit. Placing tablets under the threshold was a frequent practice, usually with images of fearsome guardian spirits that prevented the entry of unwanted demons.

Powerful erotic images

Although it was usual to use the demon Humbaba or chimerical beings, with or without a portal next to it, other tablets used by commoners showed erotic figures in everyday aspects of this population group. As in love songs, the goddess Inanna was used as a model. Unlike in the elite, where Inanna had a singular role, either as queen of heaven or warrior goddess, in this realm she represented the positions available to female commoners.

Sex in the tavern

Inanna/Ishtar was the personal guardian of the taverns, usually run by women who rose at dawn as the goddess' star. In the tavern scenes, Inanna appears as an unmarried woman apparently in search of sex, in the position of coitus a tergo (doggy style) and simultaneously drinking beer through a long straw. This composition was already present at Nippur in the third dynasty of Ur (c. 2112-2004 B.C.), with little change since then.

These tablets, as do the incantations with which they share subject matter, compare drunkenness and excitement. They show how, with her insinuations and orifices soaked in saliva and urine, the goddess subdues the man as does an alcoholic beverage. The mention of the vagina and mouth is not accidental, for it implies that she enforces his will through both orifices. Bodily fluids were also equated with beer and were said to be sweet, as often translated, like honey (back then, beer was sweetened with dates). In the case of anus, its taste is assimilated with a beer of lesser quality. Therefore, by sheer addition, images showing the woman using her orifices and firmly grasping the straw and penis were considered especially powerful. Although the straw was a phallic symbol, some men were shown drinking at the same time. In the Khafajah relief, the man makes the difference by drinking from a glass, the rims of which are interpreted as labia, including vaginal lips.

In general, beer and barley were metaphors for vaginas. The relationship had a logical basis. Water and semen shared the same term. Therefore, water and barley produced beer in the same way that semen could beget a child with a woman's body.

As for the man, although they are shown in a secondary and usually anonymous role, they also have their symbolism. On the one hand, his beard is not only a symbol of virility, but is compared to female genitalia. To reflect its luster, it could be made of lapis lazuli. On the other hand, his erect position was another symbol of his virility.

These plates, like hymns, special meals or incense, were used to please the goddess and obtain her protection.

The bed  

The liminal nature of the bed was manifold. In dreams as well as in sickness and death it oscillated between different worlds. It was also the point of sexual initiation and marriage. In the negative realm, it was a place where one was vulnerable to possessions, witchcraft and bad omens, but also where exorcisms and other rites were performed.

Unlike the previous scene, in the depictions in the bed she appears as Dumuzi's fiancée and not with an anonymous man. They are not so similar either, as they have as many variations as the poems of Inanna and Dumuzi themselves. Moreover, since the positions could be drawn from a known context rather than from a fixed iconography of myth or folklore, the artists had more freedom. Usually, the couple was shown in bed, looking at each other closely. In this case, they do not even have to be shown copulating, although, in literature, "lying next to each other" implies sex, so it may be a non-explicit depiction. Unlike the tavern, here they take the missionary position seen from the side, although there are zenithal images.

This act, which also appears in poems, presents Inanna at the lapis lazuli door, symbol of the vagina, with Dumuzi outside, forcefully opening it at her insistence. The bed itself is also another symbol of the vagina, from which Inanna emerges or a triangular symbol with a cut symbolizing the vulva and signifying "woman." In the poems, the bed may also feature lapis lazuli grass that needs to be watered, along with oily surfaces that need to be plowed.

Woman with outstretched legs

From the reign of Hammurabi, in northern Babylonia, another type of plaque emerged showing a single nude woman, standing, sitting or squatting, with legs spread apart. These do not seem to depict Inanna/Ishtar or to be based on myth or folklore. They used to share the tablets with phallic images. That women independently used the phallus pointed to the self-protective nature of these talismans.

This image, not unique to Babylon, shares many details and functions with Sheela-na-gig which was used from Europe to India.

Demonic marriage

Just as copulation and/or marriage with a goddess symbolized prosperity and protection, doing so with a demon or witch brought misfortune, paralysis, weeping or death. This does not refer to marriage with an evil partner, but to a curse cast to bind someone with an evil, such as an evil eye. One solution was to bind him again with an object or animal. The aforementioned plates, having the opposite effect, were also used.

The lilû demons, etymologically associated with the wind, entered through the windows and door taking those with whom they "copulated". The lilû were also considered spirits of people who died too young to marry and seek out victims to be their mates, to whom they promised riches. However, the victim also died with symptoms of epilepsy and paralysis and joined the ranks of lilû. As these demons could not affect humans without Ishtar's permission, their plates could be specialized defenses against them.

Source

• Assante, J. (2002). Sex, magic and the liminal body in the erotic art and texts of the Old Babylonian period. Parpola, S. and Whiting, RM (eds), 27-52.