Inanna briefly appears at the beginning and end of the epic poem ''[[Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta]]'' (ETCSL [http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm 1.8.2.3]). The epic deals with a rivalry between the cities of Uruk and [[Aratta]]. Enmerkar, the king of Uruk, wishes to adorn his city with jewels and precious metals, but cannot do so because such minerals are only found in Aratta and, since trade does not yet exist, the resources are not available to him. Inanna, who is the patron goddess of both cities, appears to Enmerkar at the beginning of the poem and tells him that she favors Uruk over Aratta. She instructs Enmerkar to send a messenger to the lord of Aratta to ask for the resources Uruk needs. The majority of the epic revolves around a great contest between the two kings over Inanna's favor. Inanna reappears at the end of the poem to resolve the conflict by telling Enmerkar to establish trade between his city and Aratta.
=== Justice myths 正義の神話 === [[File:Tablet describing goddess Inanna's battle with the mountain Ebih, Sumerian - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07117.JPG|thumb|upright|The original Sumerian clay tablet of ''Inanna and Ebih'', which is currently housed in the [[University of Chicago Oriental Institute|Oriental Institute]] at the [[University of Chicago]]]]
Inanna and her brother Utu were regarded as the dispensers of divine justice,{{sfn|Pryke|2017|pages=36–37}} a role which Inanna exemplifies in several of her myths.{{sfn|Pryke|2017|pages=162–173}} ''Inanna and [[Ebiḫ|Ebih]]'' (ETCSL [http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr132.htm 1.3.2]), otherwise known as ''Goddess of the Fearsome Divine Powers'', is a 184-line poem written by the Akkadian poet [[Enheduanna]] describing Inanna's confrontation with Mount Ebih, a mountain in the [[Zagros]] mountain range.{{sfn|Pryke|2017|page=165}} The poem begins with an introductory hymn praising Inanna.{{sfn|Attinger|1988|pages=164–195}} The goddess journeys all over the entire world, until she comes across Mount Ebih and becomes infuriated by its glorious might and natural beauty,{{sfn|Karahashi|2004|page=111}} considering its very existence as an outright affront to her own authority.{{sfn|Kramer|1961|pages=82–83}}{{sfn|Pryke|2017|page=165}} She rails at Mount Ebih, shouting: