The Gods' Banquet
Inanna asked with her eyes what Ninhursag meant, but the older goddess did not answer right away.
"Just wait a little. If I told you now, it wouldn't be any fun, would it?"
"?"
Inanna had no idea what she was talking about.
Had she created some new kind of seed? Or discovered some revolutionary way to gather more faith from humanity? Either way, Inanna decided it wasn't something she needed to worry about just yet.
"More importantly, Inanna — have you found someone you like?"
"What?"
The question came out of nowhere, and for a moment she lost control of her expression. She hadn't planned on hiding it, but still — aside from Ninshubur, she hadn't told a soul. The fact that Ninhursag somehow knew left her genuinely startled.
"How did you know?"
"There are ways of knowing these things. And more than anything, your eyes give you away. You look exactly like a woman in love. Just like I used to look, once upon a time."
Ninhursag stroked Inanna's hair with a fond, almost maternal smile. Being treated like a child by someone who now looked younger than she did left Inanna feeling strangely off-balance.
"So? Who's the scoundrel who stole our little tomboy goddess's heart? Care to give this auntie a hint?"
"Hmm… a strong, handsome man? Someone who can be firm when he needs to be, but has a soft heart underneath. And he's cute, too."
"Now you've got me even more curious."
Just then, a servant from An's household approached the two goddesses.
"Lady Ninhursag."
"Kaka, is it?"
"Lord An is looking for you. He says he intends to announce 'that matter'…"
"Understood. Tell him I'll be there shortly."
"Yes, my lady."
"I'll see you later, Inanna."
Ninhursag gave Inanna's cheek a light pinch, then followed Kaka away.
"Honestly, that woman… does she still think I'm a little girl?"
Ninshubur, who had been standing quietly nearby, leaned in and whispered by her ear.
"My lady."
"What is it?"
"It just occurred to me — it's only a human child. Is there really any need to make a formal announcement at a gathering like this?"
To Ninshubur, the question was perfectly reasonable. She had been flustered when she first heard the news, but announcing a pregnancy by a mortal at an official occasion was essentially meaningless. The child could not inherit a divine lineage. Depending on the audience, it might even become a laughingstock — though of course, no god would dare show such an attitude in front of Inanna herself.
"A human child?"
Inanna tilted her head.
"Why would you think that?"
"Because I couldn't sense any divinity from him."
"Hmm…"
Inanna fell into thought for a moment. Of course, she now knew exactly what Sunya's divinity was. After all the times they had joined their bodies and shared their love, it would have been stranger not to know. She was certain of it: Sunya was a god. An immensely powerful one. Whatever he might have been originally — mortal or otherwise — he clearly possessed both divinity and divine stature. That was an undeniable truth. He simply kept his divinity hidden because he preferred to live quietly, and so most people remained unaware.
Seen that way, it was hardly surprising that her attendant Ninshubur didn't know either.
Should I tell her?
What Inanna was wrestling with was whether to speak of Sunya or not. She trusted Ninshubur, of course — but revealing something that Sunya deliberately kept concealed was an entirely different matter.
"Well… I'll tell you about that later."
"…If that is my lady's wish."
When the moment was ripe, An's voice rang out across the banquet hall.
The words of the Father of the Gods carried weight. The moment he opened his mouth, the assembly fell silent as if by prior agreement — the music stopped, and every conversation died.
Inanna listened and thought to herself that he was overdoing it.
It's nothing that special. Why all the fuss?
She grumbled inwardly, but outwardly she remained composed, quietly tipping wine down her throat. Still, the fact that Ninhursag and Enki were standing beside An did catch her attention.
— Pffft.
Inanna sprayed the wine she had been drinking straight out of her mouth. She hadn't meant to, but the stares of every god nearby were unavoidable. An cleared his throat, drawing the attention back to himself, and continued.
An asked Enki and Ninhursag. The siblings knelt and answered together.
"We have decided upon Asalluhi, Your Majesty."
The moment An finished speaking, the banquet hall erupted in cheers. Some genuinely celebrated Enki and Ninhursag's news as if it were their own, but most were simply caught up in the atmosphere.
Amid all of it, two faces wore distinctly sour expressions.
"My lady, will you not announce your own pregnancy?"
"Tch. Forget it. If I said anything now, I'd just look like Ninhursag's afterthought."
One of them was Inanna. She felt a twinge of disappointment, thinking the attention that should have been hers had been stolen. A childish sulkiness showed on her face, but that was no great concern.
The real problem was elsewhere.
"What are you scheming, Enki?"
Behind the banquet hall, Enlil seized Enki by the collar. As An's legitimate heir and the second King of the Gods, he was seething with rage.
"Scheming? It seems my little brother is laboring under some misunderstanding…"
"What, did you think I was a joke?"
"…I understand how you feel. But I truly had no ulterior motive."
"I pity Ninhursag. To be toyed with by a scoundrel like you."
That Enki had long wanted a son with Ninhursag was already widely known — as was the friction it had caused between the two brothers. But saying it to his face was an entirely different matter.
"That's enough."
A chill settled over Enki's features.
"Woooow…"
"My lady, even so, watching while you eat is a bit…"
"This kind of thing needs drinks and snacks. Just sit quietly and watch."
Inanna had sensed something off when she saw Enki and Enlil leave the banquet hall. Following her gut instinct that something entertaining was about to happen, she had slipped out after them — and sure enough, the scene unfolding before her was exactly what she'd expected. She and Ninshubur hid behind a suitable tree, eating and drinking as they watched the two gods quarrel with rapt fascination. Fortunately, the banquet hall was so crowded with deities that neither Enki nor Enlil could clearly sense Inanna's divinity.
As their emotions flared, Enki and Enlil's powers collided. Wind and vapor twisted together; the ground rumbled and the air began to tremble.
"This banquet isn't turning out so bad after all."
"…Shouldn't we stop them?"
Even as she said it, Ninshubur fully expected Inanna to ignore her. And she was right.
"Why would I stop something this entertaining?"
"But…"
"Those old men may look like that, but they're not about to kill each other over something this minor. Even if one of them loses a limb or gets hurt, they'll heal with time. And sometimes it's better to just let it all out cleanly. If you cut things off halfheartedly, it might explode later instead."
Ninshubur hadn't expected her to explain her reasoning at such length. Inanna had always been the type to do as she pleased and say only what she wanted. That she was making an effort to help someone understand her — that alone was remarkable. It was a change born of the time she spent with Sunya, though Ninshubur had no way of knowing that.
— BOOM. CRASH!!
Eventually, things erupted. Even a mere fistfight between gods was enough to reshape the surrounding terrain. Every swing of a fist shattered trees and overturned the earth. The grass, trees, rocks, and buildings of Dilmun — paradise itself — were far sturdier than anything on the mortal plane, yet even they could not fully withstand the raw power of two great gods.
"…I think we should put some more distance between us."
"Hold on. Let me finish this first."
Inanna guzzled her beer in great gulps. Naturally, the banquet was interrupted mid-course. People screamed, and before the building could collapse, Inanna had Ninshubur transfer the remaining food and drink from the tables to her own palace.
Only after Ninhursag came running to break them up did the two great gods finally cease their fighting.
The banquet had ended far earlier than planned — but for Inanna, that was all the better. It meant she could go see Sunya right away.
"Lady Inanna!!"
Just as she was about to board her sky-barge and depart, someone called out from behind her.
"Thank goodness! I was hoping to speak with you before you left."
He was a young man with dull gray hair and dark, sun-weathered skin. A cloth was wrapped around his head, and he wore worn clothes and carried a staff. Setting aside his outward appearance, Inanna sensed his divinity and immediately understood what kind of god he was.
"…A sheep?"
"Yes. I am Dumuzi, god of sheep and shepherds, and of the pastoral life. It is truly an honor to meet you like this."
"Is that so? I'm not particularly glad to meet you. What do you want?"
Undeterred by her prickly tone, Dumuzi smiled with easy good nature.
"Ah, well, you see…"
"Spit it out. I don't like people who drag things out."
"I fell in love at first sight! Please, go out with me!"
It was a sudden confession — a full frontal assault.