Question: What three acts did Ishtar do to justify her getting Wits associated?
Ah, Ishtar, the most reactionary of all split-second bad decision-makers. Nothing is quite as worrisome as a person who has all the socials, is fully willing to wreck things when she doesn't get her way, and who always seems to be doing things before you have a chance to stop her.
Ishtar's associations with Epic Wits are littered throughout her stories. The most obvious to point to is the tale in which she tricks Enki into giving up his me to her; Enki had originally come to her house to chastize her for her misbehavior, and she not only figured that out when she saw him coming, but was already ready to treat him to a party and steal all his shit the minute he walked in the door. And Enki himself is a witty, witty, dude with a habit of quick-thinking his way around rules and situations that might stop him from doing what he wants to do; being able to head him off at the pass is not an accomplishment to sneeze at. Really, this story by itself is almost enough to make us give it to her - we do try for the three-example system, but when you outwit the guy most famous for wits, you're looking pretty good from the get-go.
Then there are numerous times that Ishtar is already doing things before anybody else has a chance to properly react - and not on a small scale, but large, important things that ruin everyone else's day. Another good example is the fact that Tammuz doesn't get to so much as open his mouth before she has him dragged into Irkallu; her temper is so lightning-quick that the poor guy never had a chance. Ishtar is legendarily swift about having a volatile, reactionary response to things said or done around her, and while Ultimate Wits is one of the Epic Attributes that's hardest to find examples of gods exemplifying, in her case we felt it was more than justified.
If there was ever a goddess you do not want visiting the crippling disdain of a Scathing Retort/Last Word combo on you, it's Ishtar.
Yikes! As you know, Ishtar will be playing a central role to my upcoming game. I am excited to put her into action. :)
ReplyDeleteShe's a barrel of fun no matter what's happening, that's for sure.
DeleteWouldn't tricking Enki be a matter of manipulation + empathy? Wouldn't figuring out what he was doing when she saw him coming be perception + empathy? Would Enki even have the perception or manipulation necessary to see through Ishtar's manipulations? Was Tammuz known for having any wits at all?
ReplyDeleteYes on the first two counts - but it's not her ability to trick or notice him we're talking about, it's her lightning-quick response time and ability to turn the situation in her own favor. Just like Loki's legendary ability to outwit those about to put a hurting on him for his misbehavior, Ishtar's response here is a classic case of awesome Wits; she responds, she responds quickly, and she takes control before Enki even knows what's going on. She doesn't have to panic about what to do or try to figure out a solution - she just does it immediately and seamlessly on the spur of the moment. Enki being able to see through her manipulations isn't the point - the point is that she was able to spring them on no notice like a freaking champ, and on a super Wits guy who already knew he was coming after her.
DeleteTammuz is not known for being particularly super-witty that I know of, though based on the myths of him managing to elude his pursuers many times, I would say he's probably at least average. That doesn't mean that Ishtar's lightning condemnation isn't an example of her having impressive Wits herself, though, just that it isn't as strong as the extremely strong example of outwitting Enki.
Manipulation gods who have manipulation but NOT wits do things very differently. Tezcat, hera, morrigan, etc have long drawn out plans that still succeed but they arent off the cuff plans.
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