The Queen of Heaven – Inanna: The First Recorded Goddess for Gamers
For gamers and mythology fans alike, one of the most intriguing questions is: who is the oldest known god described in human records? According to experts, that distinction goes to Inanna – the Queen of Heaven worshipped over 4,300 years ago in ancient Sumeria.
As the goddess of fertility, love, sex, desire, and war she would feel right at home in many modern gaming universes! Inanna shows up prominently in early myths and histories as well as the first written "epic quest stories" such as the Descent of Inanna that parallels structure of modern video game plotlines. For these reasons and more she holds special relevance for gamers and creators looking to craft mythic backstories.
Who Were the Earliest Deities?
While Inanna stands as the oldest named goddess across recorded history, she had forerunners in early prehistoric religions extending back to the Paleolithic era 40,000+ years ago. Some of the main contenders for oldest god-like figures include:
| Deity | Era First Recorded |
| Inanna | 2334 BCE |
| Yahweh | 840 BCE |
| Gilgamesh Gods | 2100 BCE |
| Egyptian Gods | 3100 BCE |
Archaeological analysis reveals that some of the earliest spiritual practices involved animal deities representing the formidable powers of nature that Stone Age peoples depended on – like bear gods granting success in the hunt. The progression of time shows more anthropomorphized gods reflecting growth of agriculture and complex civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Natural Phenomena Turned Gods in Mythology
In studying the lineage of religions and mythic figures who gave rise to organized pantheons, we observe an evolution in how peoples related to the natural elements around them:
| Early Phase | Later Phase |
| Prehistoric Animal Gods | Anthropomorphic Gods of Sumeria/Babylon |
| God Forces of Nature | Complex Stories of Greek & Hindu Pantheons |
The earliest god-forms represent animal or elemental forces – a sacred cave bear, divine storm bringing seasonal rains to revitalize the land. As agriculture developed this interdependence gave rise to more personified deities like Inanna governing concepts of renewal like the fertility cycle of death in winter giving new life in spring.
Gamers can readily observe similar mythic evolutions in fantasy worlds that often begin with elemental crystals or magical forces of nature like Mana that later get represented by goddesses like Cosmos in Final Fantasy or Kyrene the Harvest Witch.
While vestiges of Paleolithic animal cults and neolithic nature religions testify to early神forms, Inanna stands apart as the first deity we know by name and story. Ishtar was her later incarnation in Akkadian mythology. She represented cornerstones of early civilization- the power to give or destroy bountiful harvests, divine authority to choose rulers and confer legitimacy, embodiment of the joyous creativity represented by sex and art.
As gamers well know, mythologies form core building blocks of every fantasy world where higher powers derive from or influence archetypal domains of human existence. Inanna was history‘s first named goddess recorded over 6,000 years ago, but her legacy continues as creatives build universes channeling these mysteries of life and death. That is Inanna‘s gift as Queen of Heaven – eternal return, like the morning star ever reborn.
