Inanna's loyalty to her husband (Dumuzid) is questionable

It is a myth that Inanna's loyalty to her husband (Dumuzid) is questionable. Dumuzid (later known as Tammuz), the god of shepherds, is usually described as Inanna's husband, but according to some interpretations, Inanna's loyalty to him is questionable. Inanna treats her lover Dumuzid capriciously in Inanna's Descent to the Underworld. This facet of Inanna's character is emphasized in the later standard Akkadian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh when Gilgamesh mentions Ishtar's terrible mistreatment of her lovers. However, as assyriologist Dina Katz points out, the depiction of Inanna's relationship with Dumuzi in the Descent myth is uncommon. Dumuzid is commonly represented as Inanna's husband, although other interpretations doubt her commitment to him; in the narrative of her journey into the Underworld, she abandons Dumuzid and allows the Galla demons to pull him down as her replacement.

The Return of Dumuzid is a distinct myth. Instead, Inanna laments Dumuzid's death and eventually rules that he may return to Heaven to dwell with her for one-half of the year. Dina Katz observes that the portrayal of their relationship in Inanna's Descent is unusual; it differs from the representation of their relationship in other tales about Dumuzi's death, which nearly always blame it on demons or even human bandits. Researchers have compiled a substantial corpus of love poems describing encounters between Inanna and Dumuzi. Local expressions of Inanna/Ishtar, on the other hand, were not always related to Dumuzi.