Theia Mania

Aphrodite is citing from a Sumerian text about the sacred marriage of Inanna and Dumuzi. These texts were written as songs and this part was maybe sang by a choir of sorts during the ritual. I used the English translation made by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer.

At first I imagined that Dionysos probably had ordered the dildo from Hephaistos, but then I thought: “Wait, weren’t they made of leather? That sounds to be closer to Athena’s craftsmanship”… So I re-read Herodas’ Mimes 6 where the women Metro and Coritto discuss a scarlet dildo so well-made, “you’d think Athena’s hands had done it”. Well, that settles it. Athena is the dildo maker.

Just as well, I think even Hephaestus would balk at crafting a dildo.