Writing has nearly always been a profession that was easily accessible to women, and so often it is in this profession that we find the most documented and complete knowledge of accomplished women. As Virginia Woolf, an accomplished writer of her own right, writes in her essay Professions for Women, “Writing was a reputable and harmless occupation. The family peace was not broken by the scratching of a pen.” And so writing, as were many of the arts, is something that women are found a part of in every era and period of history.
But who was the first writer?
We all know about the first man to walk on the moon. We all know about the first president of the United States. The first is often something that we remember. And yet writing is so deeply integrated into our lives and as a profession has been around for nearly as long as history itself that we forget to ask: who was the first author? And, ladies and gentlemen and people in general, that is where we stumble upon a little writer named Enheduanna.
Before we get into her life, I think it’s important to make clear: Enheduanna is not the first writer ever. She is not the first person to ever put pen to paper (or rock/paint to rock wall, you get the gist), nor was she the first person to ever tell a story. People have told stories since the very beginning. I imagine the very first human telling their child a story about how they tripped on their way out to find berries in order to tell their kid to stay in their cave (were people cavemen at first? My Paleolithic history is lacking). So the very first storyteller is probably the very first human, and the very first writer is probably the very first person who decided that they need to record the amount of berries (hunter gatherers were the first profession people had, right?) they had gathered in one day.
Regardless of the semantics, Enheduanna was the first author, because she was the first author ever documented by name. Often, before her, authors languished in anonymity, and even Enheduanna is likely not the original name of the author. As the daughter of Sargon the Great of modern day Mesopotamia (although historians differ regarding whether or not she was actually his blood-related daughter or if this was just a title she got), she was a poet, an author, a priestess, and a princess. Essentially, she was busy. Really, busy.
As a priestess, she likely had more freedom than the average woman when it came to her agency. Ancient women in charge of the gods were often given more freedom. After all, “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” especially if that woman is in charge of your offerings to the gods who could kill you in a blink of the eye. Technically, we don’t believe in perpetuating old stereotypes about women and any other gender in this house, but I’ll make an exception for priestesses, because they were the independent women of the ancient times.
But I digress. Not only was Enheduanna a priestess, she was the high priestess of the temple Ur, a very important temple in the Sumerian empire, and she was the first of her gender to be high priestess. Through her writings, she changed the way the Mesopotamians saw the gods and the way they worshiped them. She is also credited with the structure of poems, psalms, and prayers.
Her works were often highly biographical, and the impact of her writing is so widespread that many of the conventions followed by poets today are the result of her work thousands of years ago. However, she, like many of the women in this series, is under-recognized and overlooked. But whether or not the world realizes it, she is a woman who rocked the world, and I would like to get her name tattooed on my forehead so people go find out more about her.
To end, here’s one of her most famous poems, a poem dedicated to the Inanna, who was the Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. Hey, she was Athena, Aphrodite, and Iris combined!
The Exaltation of Inanna
Mistress of the divine, resplendent light, Woman of radiance, righteous and beloved Of An and Urac – Heaven’s Mistress! – breasts Bejeweled; cherishing the headdress of your priestess – She who grasps the seven sacred powers! Goddess, protector of the powers, and giver – Behold your necklaced hand and fingers. Yours, The gathering of the powers and yours to clasp Against your breast. In foreign lands your breath Is like the dragon’s venom. When like Ickur The earth receives your roar, neither leaf nor wood Withstand you. You are as a mighty flood To foreign lands, the might of earth and heaven, you Are their Inana.
(A picture of Inanna, thank you Wikipedia.)
Works Cited
Mark, Joshua J. “Enheduanna.” World History Encyclopedia, Https://Www.worldhistory.org#Organization, 11 Sept. 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/Enheduanna/.
Pryke, Louise. “Hidden Women of History: Enheduanna, Princess, Priestess and the World's First Known Author.” The Conversation, 13 Sept. 2022, https://theconversation.com/hidden-women-of-history-enheduanna-princess-priestess-and-the-worlds-first-known-author-109185.
TEDEducation, director. Who Was the World's First Author? - Soraya Field Fiorio. YouTube, YouTube, 23 Mar. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhNw1BhV6sw. Accessed 15 Sept. 2022.
Upinvermont. “Ninmesarra.” PoemShape, 11 Oct. 2010, https://poemshape.wordpress.com/tag/ninmesarra/.
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