Women robed in scarlet sheaths, conducting rituals associated with serpents away from prying eyes, serving Innana, the Goddess of Love, Fertility and War. The color of their clothes was symbolic of their power, but why was blood, particularly their menstrual blood, deemed powerful? Was it merely in acknowledgement of new life that the womb brings forth? Or were there specific uses for that blood?
Blood has been a part of rites and rituals in many religions, stretching back to the dawn of man. Jesus himself claimed there was power in the blood—but why? What is it about this nutrient rich fluid that held the ancients enthralled?
What Western society has viewed as evil in the form of Woman and the Serpent was once viewed with the utmost veneration, the two bestowing wisdom and longevity on all who partook of their essences. The Priestesses wore robes of scarlet, the color signifying the source of their power, and were titled ‘Hor’ (or in Greek Hierodulai), or ‘beloved ones’, having influence on the Kings and dignitaries in the lands they chose to settle. They did not enter into marriage for life, but rather would have children with different Kings and powerful men, securing alliances and protection for their children. It was perhaps this attitude towards marriage that resulted in the meaning of ‘Hor’ becoming what we know today (Whore) and the association of the color scarlet being associated with sexual licentiousness and sin, as exemplified in the book ‘The Scarlet Letter’.
Contrary to claims that the priestesses engaged in ritual prostitution, it is more likely that they were in control of their choices of bed-mates along with the high priestess engaging in the ritual re-enactment of the sacred marriage between Dumuzi and Innana with a young man of her choice once a year on the Spring Equinox. The tales of Innana make it very clear she was not shy in picking lovers and promoting them to Kingship and her priestesses would have followed her example.
The marriage of Inanna and Dumuzi, reproduction of a Sumerian sculpture. Public Domain
From Sumer to Cambodia Kings enacted a ritual visitation with a Goddess (in many countries depicted as a serpent or half-fish) with the threat of destruction to the kingdom should the King fail in his duty. This Sacred Marriage also conferred legitimacy on their reign. According to Samuel Noah Kramer in The Sacred Marriage Rite, in late Sumerian history (end of the third millennium) kings established their legitimacy by taking the place of Dumuzi in the temple for one night on the tenth day of the New Year festival. Gilgamesh is reputed to have refused marriage to Inanna, on the grounds of her misalliance with such kings as Lugalbanda and Damuzi.
One example of a priestess known to us as a ‘whore’ would be Rahab, who held a position of influence in Jericho and brokered an agreement with Joshua that she and her family would be spared. A scarlet thread was tied outside her window so his men would know to spare the occupants of the room. She then became one of the ancestresses of King David. One gets a sense reading about these women in the Bible that there is a grudging respect afforded them, an acknowledgement of who they were intermingled with the desire to classify them as ‘fallen women’.
Painting depicting Rahab of Jericho and the scarlet thread. 17 th Century. Public Domain
As emissaries of the Serpent Cult, the women certainly held their own in forming alliances with powerful men and establishing lines of descent. But what about within their own society? Why was their blood revered by those who shared the same lineage? Innana was a member of the Sumerian Pantheon, along with Ninkhursag, Enki, and others identified as part of the Serpent Cult. So the Priestesses originated within Sumerian or Annunaki society. There are many books devoted to the subject of the Annunaki and it is possible through them to understand the rituals of the Priestesses and their place in Annunaki society.
A version of the ancient Mesopotamian eight-pointed star symbol of the goddess Ishtar/Inanna. Public Domain
The Annunaki were practitioners in hormonal therapy and during battle the soldiers would drink the blood of their fallen comrades, which provided them with a much needed energy boost and rehydration. Ordinarily the Annunaki imbibed the Priestesses’ menstrual blood which they believed was full of nutrients and contained an essence that not only lengthened their lives but also brought them to a higher state of consciousness.
During the temple ceremonies, the Priestesses would also bring themselves to arousal, causing the release of fluid emitted from the Skene’s Gland. This fluid is filtered blood plasma, and so is a rich source of hormones. To achieve this they were trained to enter a meditative state in which each of their seven flowers (or what we know as chakras) ‘blossomed’, starting with the ‘Crown ’ at the top of the head and moving down the spine until it reached the ‘Root’ at the base of the spine. By activating these chakras, the glands were stimulated making the resulting fluid extremely rich and powerful.
The Annunaki were skilled scientists and so during these rituals they may not have drunk the substances fresh, but distilled them. The oft used quote about turning base metals into gold may have derived from the distillation of iron rich blood into a yellow-gold liquid, as Europeans in the last millennium discovered when they attempted to distil men’s souls.
While the idea of drinking fresh blood is repellent, it is worth noting that many of our modern medicines contain hormones such as Premarin. The proponents of the use of organs like the placenta and the injection of fresh cells called ‘Live Cell Therapy’ in natural medicine, claim that these methods rejuvenates the recipients; re-energizing, boosting immune systems and restoring youthful beauty – not so far removed from the Annunaki’s claims. The blood used was only from the Annunaki Priestesses themselves and their direct descendants up until the Merovingian Dynasty during the Dark Ages. As the generations passed, it became too diluted and eventually was not used at all, the Dragon Court searching for other methods of achieving the same results.
It is worth noting that the Annunaki were not immortal, they died, often by violence inflicted by each other. What they sought was to live lengthened lives, but in full possession of their physical and mental faculties instead of withering away and living out their final years handicapped by infirmities.
What we have are the symbols of the Fountain of Youth (the Priestesses wombs), the Grail (or mixing bowl), as well as the mixing of the red and white which was the blood and semen of an Annunaki Priestess Ninkhursag and her husband Enki, used to create and nourish life, best expressed in the Templar Cross.