“The list of mes included everything that the world of light, to which Ishtar was about to return, must not and could not do without. It was the imperishable fabric of appearance. And from the beginning, it included the capacity to come into contact with death and not to succumb. The me immediately before that was the truth.

“The mes were also norms, laws, rules. But before anything else they were manifestations that must belong to the path of life. If even one me, no matter how frivolous or ferocious, were to be missing, then order in the world would prove inadequate. And in fact order was always inadequate. Though it continued to be order, up to a point. Until something broke and everything fell apart. Then wise expedients needed to be found so that everything could return to its proper place. This was the art of the gods. And Ea knew it better than the others.”

“The hundred and five mes Ishtar took from Ea were not the only ones. There were any number of them. To possess the mes was to master all the patterning of life, down to the smallest trifle. And Inanna claimed to be queen of the mes, without limits.

“No one proclaimed this with such unique eloquence as Enheduanna, daughter of King Sargon and priestess of the moon god, Nanna, in Ur. Words spoken in tumultuous times. A rebellion was tearing the kingdom apart; it was led by Lugalanne, who claimed he had the favor of Nanna. More than the god of the moon, Enheduanna worshipped Ishtar. And she called on the goddess for protection against the impending onslaught. But what arms did she have at her disposal? Only the words she would use to evoke Ishtar. They had to be precise and explosive if the goddess were to respond.

“Radiant light of the innumerable mes. Such were the opening words of her invocation, etched in my mind as Enheduanna etched them in clay. Sometimes I recite them: The mes are pressed to your breasts … You are a dragon spreading poison in enemy territory … A queen astride wild beasts, emanating terrible splendor … Your doings opened the gate of tears … Your teeth shatter granite … Like fluttering bats, the Anunnaki flee before you, hiding in heaps of rubble … The rebels cannot resist your lethal gaze … Who could ever appease your heart?… You are taller than the heavens, who could ever overthrow you?… They must know how you crush their heads … My queen, brimming beauty, glory itself.

“Ishtar must have been pleased with these words. Perhaps no one had written words like this before. Yet Enheduanna was hounded from the temple and flew off like a swallow. War raged. Lugalanne still felt he had the protection of the moon god. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing is enough against Ishtar.”

“Ishtar didn’t just possess the mes, she used them. Her word easily became action. It was another reason Ishtar was so attractive and so terrifying. When she moved, she could unleash all things extreme. If you came close to her, everything would vibrate. That could happen facing an enemy or just in the touching of two bodies. Without Ishtar, no moment could achieve the solidity and brilliance of metal.”