The shepherd who spends half the year below for love
Warning
His descent is because someone took his place
Resonance
Herders lovers those in a seasonal absence
Symbols
Shepherd crookDate palmAllalu bird
Mythology Summary
Dumuzi is the Sumerian shepherd king loved by Inanna, who takes his place in the underworld for half of each year when she returns. His descent and return are the dying and reviving of the pasture, and the mourning rites of Tammuz outlasted Sumer by millennia.
Modern Practice
Dumuzi is mourned and welcomed at the turning of the seasons, and his practice is the farewell and the return kept. His offerings are milk, grain and the first of the flock.