“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” ~ John 10:10
We’ll start off our Snow White discussion with the myth of Inanna, Mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, and war, and “Queen of Heaven.”[1] Seeing as how the first city built after the flood was in Mesopotamia (i.e. Babel), it would stand to reason that there would be similarities between God’s Truth and gentile myths of that region. It was the closest place to where the Truth could be heard.
Thus, Mesopotamian myths are often analyzed in conjunction with biblical accounts by both secular and biblical scholars. They do bear similarities on the surface, however (as any Biblical scholar will tell you) the gentile gods are vengeful and careless with human life. It’s important to remember that when seeking God in myths and legends, you cannot find Him in His true form.
Inanna
The legend of Inanna’s descent to the underworld is full of such similarities, and yet jarring differences. She goes to the underworld for seemingly vain purposes (her reasons are unclear, but she is quite possibly trying to take over). While there, she is tricked and killed by her sister, Ereshkigal, the ruler of said underworld. Inanna is left for dead, hanging on a hook, for three days. She is eventually brought back to life by a group of underworld beings called the Annunaki. Inanna’s husband is substituted in her place in the underworld because she wishes to punish him for not mourning her death.
Here we see vanity, trickery and murder by a close female relative, a death-like sentence which is finally reversed, and underworld beings (in northern mythologies, dwarves were associated with mining in mountains, making them literally “underworld”).[2] You can easily see how it contains the seeds for our modern Snow White tale…
Seeing God in the Myth
But it’s more than meets the eye. This myth is incredibly significant not only for the creation of the Snow White tale, but also because it shows the divine purpose behind it. God used this story to point toward His Son
Like Jesus, Inanna endures death in the underwrold. Inanna is no savior and seems spurred by pride and vanity. She can’t even save herself, and saving humans is not on her agenda. Jesus, on the other hand, suffers death in order to save us, not for any benefit of his own. He dies so that we may have life. Ereshkigal – the ruler of death – is not necessarily “evil” in the story, but defensive of her domain. Satan, who is evil as well as being the ruler of death, has no real right to any domain and cannot defend it against Christ even if he wished.
Like Inanna, Christ stayed dead for three days; but unlike Inanna, Jesus rose from the dead without aid. Inanna’s “resurrection” demanded another death to keep the balance; it saved no one but herself. Christ’s resurrection saved all who would believe, giving them a chance at an abundant life.
God, Inanna, and Snow White
Yes, there are many major differences between the two stories, and they are important ones! The divine lesson in this story is not hidden, however. Our Enemy, who lives in the “underworld,” longs to destroy us and keep us dead; but the Enemy is unsuccessful, and there can be triumph over the grave. The ancients seemed to know this. It’s one of the Truths God hid in their hearts, and not even the corruption of His Truth could entirely erase it.
This tale, I think, also explains why it is a vengeful woman in all the Snow White tales, rather than a man (as Satan is generally portrayed; even though as a spiritual being he technically doesn’t have a gender). It is subtle, but important because it shifts the focus away from the true culprit (i.e. Satan) and puts it upon women. Women are vain and vengeful. Women kill their own. Are these not the same qualities Satan himself displays? (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Satan seems to have always delighted in persecuting women. Eve was the one he went after in the garden, and for centuries blame has been put upon her alone (even though Adam was just as much at fault). It is women who are often most vulnerable in this world of violence. It would stand to reason that Satan would take every opportunity to shift the focus away from himself onto the ones he hates and persecutes.[3]
He has always existed to steal, kill and destroy, after all.
Yes, Satan is intent upon killing, just as Ereshkigal was. However, Christ – so much more powerful than Inanna – has come to give us abundant life. He is the one who revives and resurrects us, giving us a second chance.
He only waits for you to accept it.
Sources
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna
[2] Graham Anderson, Fairytale in the Ancient World (New York: Routledge, 2000), 60.
[3] These ideas can be found in John and Stasi Eldredge’s Captivating
