Ereškigal & Nergal, Rulers of the Dead
The grim queen of the dead and the god of plague who came to defy her — and stayed as her king.
The netherworld had its own sovereigns. Ereshkigal, the formidable queen of the dead, ruled the dark land below — it is she who strikes down her sister Inana/Ishtar when the goddess dares to descend. Nergal, a fierce god of war, plague, and sudden death, becomes her husband and co-ruler in the myth of 'Nergal and Ereshkigal,' which tells how he came down, defied her, and ended by sharing her throne. Together they govern the realm from which there is no return, embodying the powers — death, disease, and war — that send mortals down to them.
Key passages(10)
For the god Nergal, perfect warrior, mightiest of the gods, foremost hero, po [ werful ] lord, [... ], king of battle, lord of strength and power, lord of the Deluge that brings abo [ ut... ], the exa
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' [ Go down to ] the mēsu - forest, cut down a mēsu - tree, a white cedar, [ and a juniper, (and) break off ] kanaktu and sibbirru branches.' When he (Nergal) [... ] heard this, he lifted the axe in h
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Lacuna [... For 1 ],63 [ 5 years, the Elamite destruction..., the gods Aššur ], Bēl (Marduk), Nabû, [... in the di ] vine assembly place [... (5´) they (the gods) commissioned m ] e, Ashurbanipal, the
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For the god Nergal, mightiest of the gods, most overpowering of the gods, the supreme, perfect, (and) noble sovereign of his brother (s), the one who dwells in (the temple) Ešaḫula, the lord of Sirara
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An adab (?) to Nergal for Šulgi (?) (Šulgi U)
Nergal who ……, …… great awe, who …… the underworld -- its awesome radiance …… the battle-net, its awesomeness has filled heaven and earth. 2nd šagbatuku. Hero, wild bull with thick horns, …… like a
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An adab to Nergal for Šu-ilīšu (Šu-ilīšu A)
Lord, furiously raging storm, confusing the enemies and unleashing (?) great terror over the Land, Nergal, mighty quay of heaven and earth, who …… all living things, lord who guards (?) the teeming pe
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For Ereškigal, lady of the place where the sun sets, Lu-Utu, governor of Umma, child of Ninisina, built a temple at the place where Utu rises, the place where the fates are determined for his (own) we
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Lacuna I placed (the bed) [... ]... [... which ] is laden [ with sexual charm ]. I presented the god Marduk, the one who loves my reign, with [ a b ] ed of ebony, a dur [ able ] wood, (and) which is c
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Hero, majestic, awe-inspiring son of Enlil, battering like a storm and roaring against the rebel lands! Immense at his front, at his rear surging as a flood, after he ……, …… this place; Lord Mešlamta-
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Lacuna [... ] the god Marduk, the sage of the god [ s, granted me a broad mind ] (and) extensive knowledge [ as a gift ]; the god Nabû, the scribe of everything, bestowed on me the pr [ ecepts of his
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