Ishtar is the daughter of Anu and Antum, who have desperately wanted to marry Gilgamesh since she first met him. She promised to harness him and be the best wife she possibly could, “Come to me Gilgamesh, and be my bridegroom; grant me seed of your body, let me be your bride, and you shall be my husband.”
However, Gilgamesh’s response is negative; he insults Ishtar for her previous behavior with all her lovers whom she never loved forever and rejected her offer of marriage. The woman, in turn, became furious and turned to her father, Anu, for help in destroying Gilgamesh, “My father, Gilgamesh, has heaped insults on me.
He has told over all my abominable behavior, my foul and hideous acts.” Ishtar demanded the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh’s beloved city, Uruk.