“No one knows drunkenness better than Ea. It was he who brought it to the gods. I know because he also revealed it to me. It was his secret gift. If it hadn’t been for that gift, I would never have been able to stay here, alone among the palm trees.

“What did father and daughter talk about, all day and night? Those days and nights, rather. No one can say. All we know is that Ishtar left laden with gifts. A hundred and five powers. She looked on with a stern gaze as they were placed one by one in the Boat of Heaven. But how could she see them? You mustn’t suppose that the powers were as they are now: invisible. On the contrary, they were often things that you could touch. Talismans, people used to call them. But what were those powers? And why were there so many?

“Let me list some of the most important for you: the power to go down to the Underworld and come back; the use of the sexual organs. Ea explained: wisdom in handling the phallus. Ishtar answered: ‘I accept.’ But that was only the beginning. There were many others: the art of working wood; the art of the scribe; attention; kindling fires; procreation; judgment; betrayal; deceit; black clothing; colored clothing; the banner; the quiver; the kiss; hypocrisy; the tavern; song; treachery; pillage; the lament; prosperity; architecture; the oblation; deference; lying; victory; makeup. And these are only some of those one hundred and five powers.

“When they had all been loaded on the Boat of Heaven, Ea awoke from the lethargy that had held him in its grip and showed his irritation. Had he given his daughter too much, perhaps? He immediately dispatched agents to recover at least some of the powers. All negotiation was in vain. Ishtar refused even to be involved, leaving her ever-faithful assistant Ninshubur to do the talking. And Ea’s agents had to return empty-handed. What had Ishtar won from Ea? What I call powers were once called mes, a word that later lost its clarity. The mes are at once powers and laws. Or rules. A destiny. When Ishtar, who was still called Inanna then, went down to the Underworld, she was wearing seven mes. They included a crown, some jewels, a cloak. How can one hold a law or a power in one’s hand? When a ceremony was performed without any mistakes, people said that the mes had been accomplished. At the time, everyone understood perfectly what this meant. Now it is too late to explain. But that’s how it was.

“At last, the Boat of Heaven reached Uruk. It came in through the Nigulla gate and was welcomed by a crowd who could scarcely believe their eyes: how could so many powers have invaded the town all at once, bringing such sparkle to life on earth henceforth?”

“The mes that Ishtar persuaded Ea to grant her were not restricted to regal or priestly emblems. True, these were at the top of the list, but after them came other mes, such as the art of tying and loosening a hair bun, of sacking a city, or of starting arguments, or disguising oneself. What was it that held them together?