In Mesopotamian mythology, the story of Inanna and Dumuzi is similar to that of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the Sumerian myth, Inanna, the goddess of love and fertility, falls in love with Dumuzi, a shepherd who tends her flocks. Inanna and Dumuzi are married, but their happiness is short-lived. Dumuzi's sister, Geshtinanna, is jealous of Inanna and tricks Dumuzi into going to the underworld.
Inanna is devastated by Dumuzi's death and journeys to the underworld to bring him back. She confronts the goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal, and demands that Dumuzi be released. Ereshkigal agrees to let Dumuzi go, but only if Inanna finds someone to take his place. Inanna agrees and chooses her sister, Geshtinanna, as the sacrifice.
Geshtinanna is sent to the underworld and Inanna returns to the world of the living with Dumuzi. However, Dumuzi is only allowed to return to the underworld for six months out of the year. The other six months, he must remain in the underworld with Geshtinanna.