Ereshkigal and Nergal: Another Underworld Romance

Yes, those really are the names of two of the Mesopotamian gods. No, I’m not making this up.

I know I said in my Intro that I would mostly be calling the gods by their Akkadian names. The name Nergal is actually what the Sumerians called the god (his Akkadian name is Erra), but the tablet that contains the story of these two deities is called Nergal and Ereshkigal, so I’m sticking with the name Nergal to avoid confusion.

At this point you’re probably wondering who Ereshkigal and Nergal are. Ereshkigal is the Mesopotamian goddess of the Underworld; her sister, Ishtar, is the goddess of love. (This will be relevant later.) Nergal is a god who is sometimes associated with pestilence or the sun. Their story is probably my favorite in Mesopotamian mythology. It is almost exactly the reverse of the Greek tale of Hades and Persephone - for in it, Ereshkigal lures Nergal to the Underworld, seduces him, and intices him to stay with her as her consort.

Interested? I hope so! This post was written specially for this week, since it fits rather nicely with the upcoming holiday of Valentine’s Day. The story of these two gods is very much a traditional romance tale (though at times it can read a bit like an erotic romance novel!). Unfortunately, a lot of the tablet Nergal and Ereshkigal is damaged or missing, so we don’t know the whole story. Here is the parts of the tale that we do know:

The Mesopotamian gods are having a huge party when Anu, father of the gods, realizes that his daughter Ereshkigal is not present. Her duties prevent her from leaving the Underworld, just as his duties prevent him from traveling to see her. Not wanting his daughter to miss out on the fun, Anu sends a messenger to the Underworld.

The messenger gives Ereshkigal her father’s regards, and asks her to send her vizier to the party to choose a present for the goddess. Ereshkigal is pleased by this and immediately sends Namtar, her vizier, to the party. Once there, all of the gods are very respectful of Namtar - all, that is, save for Nergal. Nergal refuses to kneel before the vizier even though all of the other gods are doing so. He is admonished for his lack of respect by his father, Ea. As a punishment, Ea sends Nergal down to the Underworld. He is very clearly warned that he must not sit on a chair, eat, or bathe while there. Most important of all, Nergal must not, under any circumstances, have sex with Ereshkigal.

Care to guess which of those rules Nergal breaks?

To his credit, Nergal actually lasts a while before he forgets Ea’s warnings. He remembers not to sit, refuses to eat or drink, and won’t let the servants bathe him. Unfortunately, the god loses all self-control when Ereshkigal puts on a pretty dress and starts flirting with him. They immediately retire to her bedchamber...where they stay for the next six days.

Yeah.

On the seventh day, Nergal remembers that he wasn’t supposed to sleep with Ereshkigal. He flees back to heaven, where an irritated Ea ritually cleanses Nergal in the hopes of preventing Ereshkigal’s minions from recognizing him.

This is very wise of Ea. When Ereshkigal hears that Nergal has left her, she is furious. (Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...especially when that woman rules over hell!) She sends Namtar to her father with a message. Ereshkigal points out that she has never been like other girls. Her sister, Ishtar, always had a man on her arm - but Nergal was Ereshkigal’s first lover. She then loses her calm and warns Anu that if Nergal is not returned to her, she will open the gates of hell and allow the dead to eat the living.

The Walking Dead...Mesopotamian style.

Anu is understandably nervous at Ereshkigal’s threat. He allows Namtar to search amongst the gods for Nergal. Unfortunately, Ea’s ritual cleansing worked; Namtar is unable to recognize Nergal, and must return to Ereshkigal empty-handed.

Equally unfortunate is the fact that the tablet is damaged here, leaving us unsure of what happens next. When the story can be read again, Nergal is furious with Ereshkigal - and, for some reason, he is storming the gates of hell. Nergal fights his way through the seven gates single-handedly, and pushes through to the courtyard of the queen. He stands before Ereshkigal and laughs mockingly, before seizing the goddess by the hair and dragging her from her throne.

Just when you’re sure something terrible is going to happen, Nergal pulls Ereshkigal to him and kisses her passionately! The duo then retire to her bedchamber, where they stay for another seven days.

I’m not making this up.

The last part of the tablet is mostly illegible, but it seems to show Anu making Nergal the king of the Underworld. Other Mesopotamian tablets back up this idea, since they show Nergal ruling over the dead alongside Ereshkigal.

Whatever the case, I hope you enjoyed reading about Ereshkigal and Nergal! Their story cracks me up; I love that romance novels existed even in the Mesopotamian times. I also adore the similarities to the Greek story of Hades and Persephone - though the Greeks definitely have the more family-friendly version!

As always, please post below or email me with any comments or thoughts you have. I’ll be back on Friday with another special Valentine’s Day post - this one dealing with Ereshkigal’s sister Ishtar, goddess of love and war! See you then!