#ereškigal

[sag-dab-sar]

Altar August 20, 2024

Ninĝu Ereškigal'am, her husband Gugal-ana, and sukkal Namtar

Votive offerings: Cuneiform tablet "Ereškigal Queen of Where the Sun Sets"; honey jar; crystal candy, ghost candle holder.

Added the Aloe I think she wanted

[sakuraswordly]

Pit: That's Ereshkigal?!

Naminé: The Mistress of the underworld, Ereshkigal......

Punch: Yes. O queen of the gallûs spirits who gazes at the sky of darkness.

Gilgamesh: Gallu demons hauled unfortunate victims off to the underworld. They were one of seven devils (or "the offspring of hell") of Babylonian theology that could be appeased by the sacrifice of a lamb at their altars.

Ereshkigal: You speak as if you know. You are merely a demigod king.

Gilgamesh: 2/3 god not very demi-god, Ereshkigal.

Ereshkigal: I never thought you were still alive. I thought that black mud already destroyed you King Of Uruk. Fear, pray and Despair. I am the ruler of the underworld, the keeper of death!

Skuld: So that's Ereshkigal.....I'm getting chills down my spine!

Ephemer: I can see the temperature hasn't changed, but I feel a cold chill down my spine too.....! This can make your pulmonary cells explode if we still are humans.....!

Ereshkigal: So frail.....simply revealing myself to you is enough to destroy all of you! Because all living lives are created to fear me!

Pit: That's not true! Both you and Hades are not evil!

Ereshkigal: Why are you thinking like that........?

Pit: Because both of you're not evil goddesses!

Ereshkigal: My choice will not change. The world will end and the goddess of darkness, Kujaku will consume and destroy everything. I will keep every life and gather their souls in this new Kur.

Periwinkle: That's can't be......?! You're......

Ereshkigal: And then, they will all become my property. That's Ereshkigal's very first choice of her own free will.

Yesudas: Even so.....you really don't wish for such a thing! Despite modern connotations of death as evil, You were actually more altruistically inclined in mythology. You were portrayed as passive and never portrayed negatively; your role was often maintaining relative balance.

Ereshkigal: If you're going to stand in my way....I will kick your butt right here and right now!

Peter: "Your butt"....?

Ereshkigal: I mean kill you all!

*Slash*

Enkidu(Echo): She still remember our jokes huh....but what will you do? Now that she's shown herself, you won't last long you know.

Peter: Punch...! She's not the same we know now in Babylonia. What are we going to do now?

Punch: We need to reach her.

Gilgamesh: So we fight her then.

Gilgamesh & Punch: *Nod*

.

.

Periwinkle: My King. Maybe we can deal with that Lance!

Gilgamesh: Ho?

Ereshkigal: None of you will be able to escape from here.Huh?.......!! Humph! Even so, you're no longer an Arbiter to be able to judge me. ..........!! What?! Impossible!!

Periwinkle: It's working!

Gilgamesh: Even though I am no longer an Arbiter but I can still convict you under my royal authority!

Ereshkigal: .........!! Your duty still not gone.....?! You still.......

Gilgamesh: Ereshkigal! Have you abandoned your duty to protect Sumerians and many lives?

Ereshkigal: Make no mistake, King of Uruk! Even Babylonia or Uruk no longer exists. I am still Ereshkigal, the one entrusted with the underworld! It's my destiny to manage all souls. I have no regret or remorse for dedicating all I have to that task!

Gilgamesh: Well then, your defeat will serve as punishment for your sins!

Ereshkigal: .............!! Why.......? I still carried these duties as a goddess. You are also too. Then why did you punish me?!

Peter: Because what you have done is mainly used for evil deeds!

Ereshkigal: What are you saying........? My duty is evil deeds?!

Pit: ...................................

Ereshkigal: That's how happened......?! Am I a mistake?

Punch: Ereshkigal......

Ereshkigal: I thought I could be free......I thought I could be happy.....but after I separated from Dumuzid......I have none....entertainment, joy, sadness, or friends to call my own..I didn't have any of those......while I've managed the souls of the dead here for a numbingly........long....long....very long......And now.....my duty became a crime and evil deeds?! After all this, you point out that everything I had done is for nothing?! Is nobody going to commend me for all the work I've done? Punch......what about yours?

Punch: ...........................

Ereshkigal: You're my first friend that I ever met......I thought I could do something for you as a friend....but I failed to heal and cure King Anunnaki and Humbaba......I failed as a friend that you believe in me the most.....Or...does that mean everything you've done is because you feel obligated?

*Flashback*

*End of flashback*

Punch: I cannot commend you. If I commend you, I will hurt your pride!

Ereshkigal: I see.........if you're going to understand me.......if you're not going to commend me....then that's fine...! I will have no choice but to kill you and your friends then!

Peter: Punch. Let's do it.

Punch: Mr Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh: Sure.

Ephemer: We're counting on you.

Ereshkigal: A sky without light.....a surface without reflection......mud without flowers! Yes! Protecting this silence was my pride as a goddess!! Even I don't understand what the souls are saying! There is nothing here...nothing left.....even then I will continue this.....!

Punch: That’s the path you choice?!

Ereshkigal: That's right I made my choice!!

Punch: Please Ereshkigal, you need to stop lying!! Because you actually care about us even back then!! And you actually are trying to protect humans!

Ereshkigal:............”Punch”.........

Punch: Mr Gilgamesh. Are you sure you want me to command you as a servent?

Gilgamesh: I need your mana to boot up. Without your power, I cannot guarantee this will work.

Punch: .................Okay, I trust you, my brother.

Gilgamesh: Now awake, Ea!

Punch: King of heroes Gilgamesh! I command you! Protect Ereshkigal dignity, her choice and her will with all your might! Everyone stand back!!

Peter: Everyone back up quickly!!

Ereshkigal: Nammu.....

Gilgamesh: Enuma.......

Ereshkigal: Abzu......

Gilgamesh: Elish!!

Ereshkigal: Gugalanna!! 

*Boom*

Ereshkigal: How could.....you become so powerful?! King of Uruk?! I thought you'd already died in Kujaku's hand!!

Gilgamesh: I made a pact-like master and servant. Thanks to Punch for becoming a vessel for me that's why I survived from destruction of Babylon..that’s why....!!

I will protect you not as a King's duty but as a friend! And I believe what I do now is the right thing!! Because that is the path I already have chosen!! 

Ereshkigal: My...burden..as ...duty..!! 

*BOOM*

Ereshkigal: ..........................

Naminé: She finally changed her form.....we did it!

Pit: We still have hope.......we still......yes! We still can do it!

Peter: Whew.....that's what an amazing power of whatever.....

Punch: The sword of creation.....Ea.....

Gilgamesh: I did use to fight once only that "Enuma Elish" is the first time I ever use......

Peter: You did tell me and Merlin once. Enuma Elish is a creation story that narrates the beginnings of the cosmos and the gods, in contrast to the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is a tale about a king's search for immortality. While both books provide us with knowledge of Mesopotamian civilization, they do so from various angles. The myth tells the story of the great god Marduk's victory over the forces of chaos and his establishment of order at the creation of the world.

Punch: Because this myth is a creation story that narrates the beginnings of the cosmos and the gods. That's why this art you named "Enuma Elish".

Gilgamesh: Ereshkigal. Bemoaning the obligations you chose to uphold dutifully is evil, and to praise that pain is an insult only to yourself. This sin is beyond any of the other goddesses. Even if I am "dead", I can judge you and find you guilty using the authority of the king. We can defeat the invaders with strength, but someone who betrays their companions will be judged by the world itself. That, is the meaning of the authority of the king. You understand this, don't you?

Ereshkigal: Of course.....I know.....

Peter: Ereshkigal, you hid the truth and you hide behind false words even now. If you feel even a shred of shame, then answer me. You created the domain of death, but that is because…As a goddess entrusted with all of the souls of humanity, you love humanity deeply, do you not?

Skuld: From Hades in Greek mythology to the Christian Hell, almost all religions throughout time have believed in an afterlife where the souls of the departed live in another world that is inaccessible to the living. In many religions, the afterlife was referred to as the “underworld” and was located beneath the physical plane. Unsurprisingly, this type of myth is as old as human civilization, and some of the first references to a subterranean afterlife come from the Mesopotamians. Unlike most ancient cultures, however, the underworld of Mesopotamian myth was ruled by a woman: Ereshkigal. Along with being an important part of Mesopotamian cosmology, this goddess was one of the most respected and feared deities in the pantheon.

Punch: You do your best to not allow death to fall to terror or anything detestable. You treat death with dignity, and you stay behind and protect all those souls that are left behind. You protect all of many lives, to save as many souls as you can.... It didn't matter if no one understood you, even if all these millions of souls were isolated by you, your desire was to protect this peace. That is your path as a goddess.

Ereshkigal: But......I... I already...lots of people.....

Gilgamesh: It's not too late. We still have time to defeat Kujaku....if you...umm--

Punch: If you join our party.....you can save as many souls as possible because this is your talent that you have given not because of your duty....you're free and Dumuzid.....he's still alive.

Ereshkigal: We can......are you sure....? King of Uruk....? Then now....

Gilgamesh: We are friends.....because you're Punch's friend....I think we don't have to be royalty to each other just like in the past. Everything has been over since Babylon's fall. You're you. I still me. If you just release the souls from your prison, then they'll all come back to life.

Ereshkigal: I'm so happy that we are still friends.....*Start to cry*

Pit: We still can save Hades......please watch me, Lady Palutena.....Miss Morgana.

Later at Vimana Airship

Ereshkigal: That wasn't my intent... but maybe that's what you felt earlier. Oh, well, I'm a goddess. I, I, I'll do my best and do my part!! I'll join the party as Sunscreen Rangers group!!

Everyone: !!!!!?????

Ereshkigal: Haha, are you surprised? You look surprised. This must be what surprise is! What, you think I looked like a Garula spirit? That's a disguise, dummy! Not even the Mesopotamian gods know what I look like. How did I do, Punch, did I surprise you?

Punch: Ereshkigal! *Happy Sound*

Gilgamesh: Well.......you haven't changed a bit......

Ereshkigal: What? Come on ...That reaction is super disappointing, King of Uruk!? Why? Why is that? Isn't this how those books are supposed to go? Right now, this is supposed to be the arc where "One finally meets the friend that they've secretly admired for long!"

Peter & Pit: I think black hair is much better than blonde hair.

Ereshkigal: Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!

Gilgamesh: Sorry, Ereshkigal, but I, the king, must act as the third wheel in this occasion. Forgive the king who doesn't understand how to socialize with people.

Ereshkigal: What do you want you stupid king who died of overwork? I didn't plan to kill you, and all you've done is give me trouble once you're in the underworld!

Everyone: King Gilgamesh is WHAT now?!

Merlin: Welcome aboard then, Ereshkigal!

Gilgamesh: We talk about that later.......

Naminé: I hope we can be a great friend!

Ereshkigal: Me too!

[yamayuandadu]

Is the fact that Enlil fought Kur to rescue Ereshkigal an actual thing according to Gilgamesh's epic or was it just a mistranslation?

There's no such a myth. There is no such a being as "Kur" in Mesopotamian mythology. Not only is the alleged "dragon Kur" a mistranslation, it's a mistranslation which was NEVER ACCEPTED BY THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF RESEARCHERS. And we’re not talking about modern researchers, we’re talking about researchers in 1946 already. There is a brief discussion of this in Alhena Gadotti’s ‘Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld’ and the Sumerian Gilgamesh Cycle (p. 3):

However, it’s basically a matter which deserves no real consideration. I have no clue how does the dragon that never was spread online considering it’s the idea on the most fringe of fringe areas of this discipline, and it’s not like it’s hard to access a standard modern translation of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld (or its Akkadian adaptation, tablet XII of the SB edition of the Epic of Gilgamesh). The word kur is obviously not a given name. It has three possible meanings depending on context - "mountain" (like ex. in the epithet Kurgal and the temple name Ekur; this is likely the oldest use since the sign started as a schematic drawing of a mountain), "land" or "underworld". A brief summary can be found in Wayne Horowitz’s Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography (pp. 272-273), more detailed discussion - in Dina Katz’s The Image of the Netherworld in the Sumerian Sources. Needless to say, in the discussed passage it refers to the underworld. Obviously, the myth does not involve Enlil (or anyone else) “rescuing” Ereshkigal. The passage simply refers to the bestowing of her position on her, courtesy of Enlil and Anu. This is a standard motif in Mespotamian mythology - Enlil, sometimes assisted by other big names like Anu or Enki, was supposed to appoint other gods to their positions. 

Gadotti argues that Ereshkigal specifically receives the underworld as dowry (p. 11). The term used is saĝrig which can also more generally refer to a gift (p. 13); ultimately both options appear in discussion about the passage in scholarship (summary on pp. 244-245). ETCSL goes with "gift".

Note that Gadotti’s interpretation would have interesting implications for Ereshkigal’s genealogy - it would appear as if Enlil and Anu provide her with a dowry in absence of her parents. It is worth stressing that her genealogy is indeed a mystery, and Inanna calling her “sister” doesn’t necessarily imply kinship (p. 13; cf. kings who viewed each other as equals calling each other “brother” in official letters); Ereshkigal never appears in association with Inanna’s standard parents (Nanna-Suen and Ningal) so she has a less firm claim to being one of her siblings than Ningublaga or Numushda do. Gadotti expanded this idea in a separate article, Never Truly Hers: Ereškigal's Dowry and the Rulership of the Netherworld, which is worth checking out just because of how entertaining it is:

I got convinced by her arguments, but that’s a topic for another time. The Enki passage is unrelated to the Ereshkigal one beyond also involving the underworld and thus setting up the core plot of the story, and most likely references a hitherto lost myth involving his journey to the underworld (Gadotti, p. 17). Needless to say, there is no evidence this myth, if it existed in the first place, has anything to do with the definitely nonexistent “dragon Kur”.

[bronzegods]

Nebet-hut, goddess of darkness and mourning

If there’s one goddess who feels like she’s drawn the short stick in the bunch, it’s Nebet-hut. While she’s undoubtedly part of a quartet of siblings that play some of the biggest roles in Kemet’s divine sphere, Nebet-hut is often left feeling like an afterthought tacked on to balance Sutekh. If he didn’t exist, would she, when she was the last one born and everyone comes in balanced pairs?

Her relationship with her sister, Aset, has always been complicated. She loves her sister, but can’t help but feel like everyone—from their parents to their worshippers—consider her like an extension of Aset. Aset is more important, more powerful, the queen. What is Nebet-hut but a shadow of her sister? How does a goddess make an identity for herself when she’s always envisioned as a double to Aset? Nebet-hut is forever entangled in trying to figure out what she wants out of her existence, independent of what Aset or their brother Usire needs.

And then there’s Sutekh. Good grief, she did not want to be married to him. Not only is Nebet-hut not attracted to him, but she resents the fact that yet another aspect of her independence and identity has been ripped from her. If she’s not Aset’s Sister, then she’s Sutekh’s Wife. Why can’t she be herself? To make matters worse, Nebet-hut has figured out one thing she wants out of life—she wants to be a mother—and Sutekh is infertile and cannot even give her that. It adds yet another layer of frustration and anger on top of everything else.

Nebet-hut already feels like goddesses play second sistrum to gods. She sees the pain and struggle that Aset goes through, trying to earn respect for her position as queen despite what feels like the world working against her. And Nebet-hut will always support her in that endeavor. But Aset doesn’t seem to comprehend how truly invisible Nebet-hut is to the world when not linked to one of her siblings, and Nebet-hut honestly wishes she would.

Highlights of her life include:

- Nebet-hut has generally tried to play the role she was forced into without complaint, as she was socialized to do so, but when Sutekh couldn’t make her a mother she took matters into her own hands. Nebet-hut, though she feels bad about stepping outside her marriage to try to conceive children, has figured out that no one is going to give her what she wants or needs out of life; only she can do that for herself.

- She has a strong relationship with her mother, Nut, stronger than Aset has, which is one of the few things Nebet-hut has over Aset. And it’s sad that she has to silently compete over something like that to boost her self-esteem, but it is what it is.

- In her efforts to achieve her own independence and shape her life independently of her siblings, she has actually found herself to be quite fond of Sokar. The two have a good affinity with each other. Her relationships with the Duat gods in general is far healthier than her other siblings, and she cares deeply for the deceased mortals that pass through Duat itself. It does seem that if ever there was a time that Kemet considered a Queen of the Underworld like Sumer has, she would be the best option. A Kemetic Ereškigal, anyone? Maybe? Perhaps? It would be nice…

Lines commissioned from Argenemartwork

[transtheology]

Hi, I'm a multigender trans intersex person (bigender transmascfem androgyne, sometimes agender) and I've been feeling a calling towards some kind of occult / pagan / witchcraft practice but am having a very hard time finding anything that will honor both my multigenderness and my intersex body/variation. I was wondering if you knew of any resources or specific practices that might be accepting of this? I had a friend tell me to try out Wicca but it seemed to be very binary-focused in everything I read. Thank you so much for your time!

Wicca is definitely pretty binary focused. Its also diverse and there are many different ways of practicing Wicca, but the fundamental theology is based in a strict binary of the Mother Goddess and the Horned God, and a lot of its beliefs are based on this balance of male/female. As a result much of early Wicca (and some modern Wicca) was very homophobic & gender-sex essentialist (there's also Dianic Wicca, which is goddess-centric and therefore very popular with TERFs). There are trans Wiccans & Wiccan paths which are less binary (or less strict about it), but I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to engage with it.

With Witchcraft, there's a lot more room because "witchcraft" itself isn't its own spiritual tradition as much as a practice or skill you can engage in. In a very general sense Witchcraft is "doing x thing to get y result (through some spiritual/supernatural/mystical method)," so how much you get into cissexism and binary thinking is really dependent on how you see things. For example, a Wiccan might have a very binary view of magic & spiritual energy, but another person might not consider gender at all when doing magic.

A lot of European & WANA (West Asia North Africa) polytheism has some genderfuckery somehwere in its mythology. Inanna/Ishtar in Sumerian/Akkadian/Assyrian polytheism is one example: you might be aware that She had transfeminine devotees called the gala, and she was described as having the ability to "turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man." She has a myth where she descends into the Underworld to confront her sister Ereškigal and gets trapped there. To get her out, Enlil/Ea creates either two sexless beings (gala-tura and kur-jara), or one androgynous being/eunuch (Asušunamir) to save her.

There's also Cybele/Magna Mater in Rome, who also had transfeminine devotees called galli. In Greek polytheism, there is Dionysus, who was heavily associated with gender non-conformity, having been raised as a girl in some versions & having the epithet Androgynos. Aphrodite has the form Aphroditus, who has a beard penis and was worshipped by male and female devotees through crossdressing rituals, and generally her role as Aphrodite Pandemos, a love goddess for all people, has made her popular with queer polytheists. There is also Hermaphroditus, the child of Aphrodite and Hermes, who became intersex/genderqueer when he joined bodies with the nymph Salmacis; a pool formed where this happened that was said to have the ability to androgynize anyone who bathed in it. They were, as you can imagine, heavily associated with androgyny and the union of male and female. In Norse Heathenry, Loki has been seen as an androgynous figure; he transforms into a woman/female animal in multiple myths, and in the Hyndluljóð he eats the heart of a woman and gives birth to several creatures.

There are definitely other deities who have androgynous aspects who I'm forgetting, but in general you can find a lot of genderqueerness throughout polytheist religion. Although there are still transphobic & intersexist witches/pagans/polytheists, and those who use ancient patriarchal practices to justify their behavior. In general I'd recommend seeking out specifically trans & intersex pagans/polytheists/witches and learning from their practices to see what calls to you. Even beyond ancient practices, a lot of modern trans & intersex polytheists worship modern, specifically trans forms of otherwise binary deities. so don't feel the need to limit yourself to just what people in the past practiced. I hope this was helpful.

[scarletarosa]

Ereshkigal

Mesopotamian goddess of death; Queen of the Underworld

Ereshkigal is the Queen of Kur (Akkadian: Irkalla), the Mesopotamian Underworld. Sometimes, her name is given as Irkalla (similar to how Pluto is often called Hades after his realm’s name) and other times she may be called Ninkigal, meaning "Lady of the Great Below". The land of the dead was believed to lie beneath the Mountains of Sunset and was also known as Kurnugia ('the Land of No Return'). Kur (Kurnagia) is an immense realm of gloom beneath the earth, where the souls of the weak dead are said to drink from muddy puddles and eat dust while strong souls drink from the river Eridan. Ereshkigal rules over these souls as their Queen. Her palace is called Ganzir, which is located at the entrance of Kur and is guarded by seven gates, all of which are watched over by her servant, Neti. 

Myths: While Ereshkigal’s younger sister, Inanna, represents light and life and is the Queen of Heaven, Ereshkigal is darkness and death. These two sisters are rather like two sides of the same coin, and together, they bring balance. It is said that Ereshkigal ruled her realm alone until Nergal (god of war, plagues, and death) became her husband and her co-ruler for six months of the year. She is said to have fallen in love with him upon his visit to the Underworld, but he had to leave after a week. Wishing to remain with Ereshkigal, Nergal is able to return to her for six months of each year. The servants and throne-bearers of Ereshkigal are known as the gugallû/gallû. They are lethal entities who enforce divine wrath in the name of the goddess of death (though sometimes employed by Utu) and are described as sexless shapeshifters and harbingers of disease and despair. These terrifying beings were said to know neither food nor water, but drank blood and were the winds of storms. 

Ereshkigal’s most well-known myth is the Descent of Inanna, which portrays her encounter with her sister. In this poem, the goddess Inanna descends into the Underworld and knocks loudly on the entrance to Kur, demanding entry. When Neti, the gatekeeper of Kur, hears this, he informs Ereshkigal that Inanna is at the gates. She then orders Neti to bolt the seven gates of Kur and tells him to have Inanna remove one article of clothing before she enters each gate. Upon going through all seven gates, Inanna then stands naked before the throne of Ereshkigal and bows to the Queen of the Dead. Suddenly, the annuna, the Judges of the Underworld, surround Inanna and pass judgment on her.

Ereshkigal then fastens on Inanna her Eye of Death and speaks against her the Word of Wrath. She utters against Inanna the Cry of Guilt and strikes her. Inanna is instantly killed, her corpse then hung from a hook on the wall. After three days and nights, Inanna's minister, Ninshubur, pleads for help from Enki, Inanna’s father. Enki agrees to rescue Inanna from the Underworld and sends two of his gallû down to revive Inanna with the food and water of life.

Appearance: Ereshkigal's appearance is that of darkly regal beauty. She is a pale woman in her late 30's with long, straight black hair, dark brown eyes, high cheek bones, and dignified features. She often wears a long, slender black dress that is very elegant. Ereshkigal’s kingdom of Kur/Irkalla is subterranean and features a solemn city of bones. It is very dark here, without any sun. Her palace is majestic and gloomy, made of polished black stone and sits tall at the back-centre of the kingdom. It is a very vast domain, but the Underworld itself is far more vast since it contains every kingdom of all the chthonic gods. Overall, the Underworld is a realm that is larger than the Earth itself.

Personality: Ereshkigal is mysterious, imposing, sophisticated, solemn, commanding, confident, and sometimes a bit sarcastic. She has a very dark demeanor and does not like to have her time wasted, especially when someone is not giving proper respect. Ereshkigal is also very dangerous when angered. Usually, she becomes icily cold when insulted or might even seem eerily amused by the person’s foolishness; but either way, such actions result in the goddess bringing severe punishment upon them. It is only when she is fully enraged that she might show more intense emotions in her fury, which always means a horrible death for those she targets. When she becomes like this, Ereshkigal’s appearance becomes even darker and she manifests twisting black horns on her head (like a ram’s, but the points are directed forwards). She may also show her face of Irkallu towards those who earn her ire; this appearance is so horrifying that any mortal who sees her quickly dies from terror.

Ereshkigal explains how the event with Inanna descending to her kingdom also happened, but it isn’t what humans have often assumed. Inanna was never seeking to claim the throne of the Underworld or betray her in any way. In truth, Inanna sought to transcend into further Illumination by conquering death and asked for assistance from Ereshkigal. After a ritual entry into Kur, Ereshkigal killed Inanna, and she remained dead for three days and nights. When she resurrected, Inanna ascended to a higher state of being.

Offerings: pomegranate juice, lime juice, absinthe, bitter hot chocolate, pomegranates, sour cherries, blackberries, blueberries, plums, limes, blood oranges, cob bread, beetroot, eggplant, artichokes, lamb meat, goat meat, rooster meat, king prawns, lobster, mussels, chestnuts, nutmeg, garlic, wheat, poppy seeds, purple pansies, henbane, belladonna, black dahlias, obsidian, jet, black onyx, malachite, animal bones, silver or gold jewelry with black crystals, silver chalices, silver platters, ornate scepters (with animal bone and wood), silver hand-held mirrors, midnight dahlia perfume, decorated fake human skulls, silver claw rings, obsidian mirrors, black candles, and incense of cardamom + poppy + violet

[mostlydeadlanguages]

“You Whose Cities Are Ruined Mounds” (CT 23 16 i 13-16)

While doing some research on the Mesopotamian goddess Belet-Ṣeri, I came across this well-preserved Akkadian incantation for someone who "constantly sees dead people."  Ereškigal is queen of the Netherworld, and Ningeštinanna/Belet-Ṣeri is her (female) scribe.  I am not familiar with "Abatu the Queen," but her name literally means "to destroy," so presumably she was another goddess associated with death.

...

Incantation:

Dead people, why do you encounter me—you whose cities are ruined mounds, you who are bones? I do not go to Kutha, the assembly of ghosts.  Why do you constantly chase me? You are adjured by Abatu the Queen, by Ereškigal the Queen, by Ningeštinanna the Scribe of the Gods, whose stylus is lapis and carnelian.

Recitation (to be used when) one continually sees dead persons.

(The description of the ritual follows, but is somewhat broken.  It involves pouring a ritual liquid into a western-facing pit while reciting the incantation.)

[house-of-the-lion-archives]

“…bold Ishtar…”

“Praise the goddess, the most awesome of the goddesses. Let one revere the mistress of the peoples, the greatest of the Igigi. Praise Ishtar, the most awesome of the goddesses. Let us revere the queen of women, the greatest of the Igigi. She is clothed in pleasure and love. She is laden with vitality, charm, and voluptuousness. Ishtar is clothed in pleasure and love. She is laden with vitality, charm, and voluptuousness... ”

Ishtar in the world of The Flower of Tiamat´s fire

Ishtar, once known as Inanna, is the earth mage of the Five. She’s the sister of Ereshkigal, another great earth mage. She is known for her battle prowess, impulsiveness and immaturity.

Centuries ago Ishtar alongside her sister, Enki, Enlil and Shamash fought and put Tiamat to sleep. As Ereshkigal claims, Ishtar rejoiced when her sister became in the abyss that is Irkalla, because with Ereshkigal gone, Ishtar would be the greatest of the earth mages. Ishtar once descended into the Underworld to “laugh at” her sister but Ereshkigal stripped her bare, took away her amulets of power and hung her on a cross to die. It was only thanks to Enki´s pleas Ereshkigal released Ishtar, but kept her amulets. Since then Ishtar is forbidden to go to Irkalla, but that doesn’t mean she gave up.

Ishtar in mythology

Ishtar, or alternatively spelled Ištar, is one if not the most prominent goddess in Mesopotamia. She is the goddess of war, love and sex. She's the planet Venus; the Morning/Evening star.

Similarly to Šamaš, her name isn’t Sumerian, but Akkadian. Her Sumerian name is Inanna and due to syncretism the Akkadian Aštar/Ištar became the same entity as Inanna, which is why she is by far the most complex of all Mesopotamian deities, displaying contradictory, even paradoxical traits.

Ishtar´s main city of worship was Uruk, but temples in her honour could be found in all important cities of Mesopotamia. Her temple was called the House of Heaven.

Some of the ruins of Uruk

Ishtar is most commonly seen as the daughter of Nanna/Sin and Ningal, making her the sister of Šamaš. But in other myths she is the daughter of An the Sky or Enki. Her sister is Ereškigal and like in FTF Ishtar did descend into the Underworld, but about that we will tell in the next post.

Ishtar/Inanna came to possess the me-s: divine norms of civilisation in the myth Inanna and Enki Inanna travels from her own city of Uruk to Enki's city of Eridu, where she visits his temple and starts up a drinking competition with Enki. Then, once Enki is thoroughly intoxicated, Inanna persuades him to give her the me-s. Inanna then flees from Eridu, taking the me-s back with her to her city, Uruk. After Enki realised what happened he sent “fierce monsters” after her, but Inanna managed to return to Uruk. In the end Enki reconciles with her and bids her a positive farewell.

The most famous spouse of Ishtar is Dumuzid/Tammuz the Shepherd god. About their courting you can read this translation

Depiction of Ishtar and Tammuz

Do you want to know more, you mage? See here: link; link; link; link; link; link; link; link

[high-pot-in-noose]

I am researching pre-Stone Age hominines and the ending of the Cenozoic Era because I have to form a reasonable estimate of when humans could have been created by my story’s first pantheon of gods, and also give reasonable estimations of when other pantheons of gods were spawned based on the rises and falls of the civilizations that originally worshipped them and the timelines within their individual mythologies.

All because I established that the Hyborian Age (a fictional epoch 10,000 years ago) happened in my fic and was the heyday of the Sumerians, and because the Greeks and Romans sometimes used ‘Ereškigal’ as an epithet for Hecate.

[not-shamhat]

What are your favorite servants from each of the classes?

My gacha luck is p bad so I don’t actually have a lot of my faves orz and I haven’t followed the plot since the Lostbelts were released so I don’t actually know much lore about anyone in Fate

Lancers: Enkidu, Karna, Ereškigal

Archer: Gil!!! wish I had Ishtar tho

Saber: ehhh Musashi??

Rider: Ozy and Achilles. I want titty window Odysseus too orz

Caster: CasGil, Merlin (don’t have him), Waver

Assassin: Okki I guess? Kama evaded me rip

Berserker: THIS IS WHERE I’D PUT JUNAO IF I HAD HIM SOBS

Extra: Maou Nobu, Space Ishtar, Hokusai, none of whom I actually have orz

[sag-dab-sar]

Altar June 22, 2024

My Queen Ereškigal, her husband Gugal-ana, and sukkal Namtar

The cuneiform tablet on the right is "Ereškigal Queen of Where The Sun Sets." Their are some offerings for her too— a jar of honey and crystal candy.

[sakuraswordly]

Knowledge 23.2

What is the underworld in Maya?

For the ancient Maya, Xibalba (chee-bal-ba) was the Underworld, which in their language translates literally as “Place of Fear”

Ereshkigal is a prominent figure in Mesopotamian mythology, specifically within the pantheon of ancient Sumerian and Akkadian deities. She is primarily known as the goddess of the underworld, ruling over the land of the dead. Ereshkigal is often depicted as a fearsome and formidable figure, associated with death, disease, and the mysteries of the afterlife.

According to mythological texts such as the "Descent of Inanna," Ereshkigal is portrayed as the sister of Inanna (or Ishtar), the goddess of love, fertility, and warfare. In the story, Inanna decides to descend into the underworld, seeking to confront Ereshkigal and assert her dominance over the realm of the dead. However, Ereshkigal enacts harsh judgment upon Inanna, subjecting her to various trials and ultimately causing her death. Inanna is eventually resurrected, but the myth highlights Ereshkigal's power and authority over the realm of death.

Ereshkigal's cult was significant in ancient Mesopotamia, and she was often invoked in funerary rituals and incantations seeking protection in the afterlife. She was also sometimes associated with the planet Venus, particularly in her role as Inanna's sister. Overall, Ereshkigal plays a crucial role in Mesopotamian cosmology, embodying the dark and mysterious aspects of the underworld and serving as a potent symbol of mortality and the afterlife.

In Tsubasa of Phantasia, Before Ereshkigal changes her appearance her hair is blonde, original her appearance is that of darkly regal beauty. She is a pale woman in her late 30s with long, straight black hair, dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, and dignified features.

[yamayuandadu]

Do you have any articles or sources you’d recommend for reading about the Ugarit sea monster Tunnanu? I know it’s mostly mentioned in the Ba’al cycle and possibly one incantation for snake bites (though that translation is contested), but it’s also so often conflated with Lotan ;7;)

There isn’t much to know beyond what you already know, as far as I can tell. It seems you are pretty well versed in the topic. As far as I know most of the recent translations of the incantations do accept that Tunnanu is mentioned in it though, if we’re talking about KTU 1.82.

More about Tunnanu, and about its purported Akkadian cognate, under the cut.

Some recent treatments of the aforementioned text and/or other passages mentioning Tunnanu include ust How Many Monsters Did Anat Fight ( KTU 1.3 III 38–47)? by Wayne T. Pitard, A Study of the Serpent Incantation KTU2 1.82: 1–7 and its Contributions to Ugaritic Mythology and Religion by Adam E. Miglio and Yamm as the Personification of Chaos? A Linguistic and Literary Argument for a Case of Mistaken Identity by Brendan C. Benz. Sadly, none of them address whether Tunnanu can be firmly separated from Lotan. With the exception of Pitard, most do agree that the convention of treating this name as a title of Yam is erroneous though.

It seems part of the problem is that there’s an ongoing debate over whether there is a singular monster named Tunnanu or if tunnanu is a generic term for a mythical serpentine creature. Pierre Bordreuil’s and Dennis Pardee’s A Manual of Ugaritic recommends the later interpretation, for instance. Pitard and Mark S. Smith in the second volume of the Baal Cycle commentary argue that it is not impossible tnn is in reality two words, not one. Their argument rests on the fact that the vocalized tu-un-na-nu from the multilingual lexical list is a synonym of ordinary words referring to snakes in Sumerian (MUŠ) and Akkadian (ṣi-i-ru). On this basis, they tentatively suggest the monstrous tnn from the Baal Cycle and incantations might have had a different reading.

The only other matter I think worth addressing here is the argument over the purported Akkadian cognate of Tunnanu. The presence of cognates of the name in multiple other languages is obviously widely agreed upon. Most notably, tannin (and plural tannînîm) occurs in the Old Testament as a sea monster and/or a regular snake. While other variant forms and  cognates are attested in a variety of sources in Aramaic, Arabic and Ge’ez, they seem to reflect late adoption depending on the aforementioned source, as outlined by George C. Heider in the DDD.

Where does the notion of an Akkadian cognate come from, then, since it wouldn’t exactly fit this pattern? In 1998, Frans Wiggermann published his influential article Transtgridian Snake Gods (funnily enough in the same volume as Westenholz equally, if not more impactful Nanaya, Lady of Mystery). He convincingly argues there that some of Mesopotamian deities tied to the underworld can be grouped together based on their serpentine associations, an idea adopted by many subsequent studies (most recently by Irene Sibbing-Plantholt in The Image of Mesopotamian Divine Healers, I believe). 

In a footnote (p. 35), he argues that an association with snakes or outright a snake-like form can be attributed to the elusive Dannina, a deity listed in the god list An = Anum among the courtiers of Ereshkigal (tablet V, line 234). He depends on the assumption this name would be an Akkadian cognate of Tunnanu, in addition to being a variant form of the term danninu, one of the many sparsely attested poetic designations of the underworld.

However, as summarized by Anna Jordanova in her dissertation Untersuchungen zur Gestalt einer Unterweltsgöttin: Ereškigal nach den sumerischen und akkadischen Quellentexten notes that while the precise etymology of danninu remains uncertain, most other researchers did not accept Wiggermann’s interpretation. On one hand, tunnanu lacks any connection to the underworld. On the other hand, danninu and thus Dannina have another more plausible etymology. The word danānu, “to be strong”, is well attested, and would make it possible to translate danninu something like “the strong place”, “the stronghold”, a name perfectly in line with the image of the underworld as a fortified city evident in its descriptions in myths and in terms like urugal, “great city”, and the like. For what it’s worth, the only time I recall seeing danninu outside of god lists and formulas of the “heaven and earth/the underworld” variety was in a title of Nergal cited by Wayne Horowitz in Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography, āšir dannina sāniq nēr, “controller of the underworld, supervisor of the 600” (600 being the conventional number of deities believed to reside there in post-Kassite sources). Nergal obviously wasn’t associated with snakes, while the more commonly proposed meaning of the term does fit his general character. Therefore, I also think in this case Wiggermann is wrong.

[eldritch-hunterarchived]

An aesthetic for my queen Ereškigal!

[chthonicdivinebard]

Unequivocally astral names are used in the treaties that Esarhaddon concluded with the vassals of Assyria to secure the rights of succession of his son Assurbanipal; they were put under the protection of not only the major Gods Šamaš, Sin, and Ištar, who are elsewhere too identified with Sun, Moon, and the planet Venus, but also of other astral deities. Thus Jupiter introduces the list of six astral deities in Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty, the other five being Venus, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, and Sirius, in this order. Similarly, Jupiter precedes Sirius in another treaty which is known only from its mention in a letter of Esarhaddon's son Šamaš-šumu-ukīn. The treaties concluded in Anatolia between the kings of the Hittites and their neighbors some six hundred years earlier were also put under the protection of the planets and stars, particularly of Venus, called "resplendent Ištar (variant: Venus" as well as of the Storm God and such cosmic powers as mountains and rivers, and of the "Gods of the Nether World" for which a variant substitutes Ereškigal, the Queen of the Nether World. The appeal to Babylonian deities in Their astral manifestation can still be found in Syriac magic texts.

“Astral Magic in Babylonia” by Erica Reiner (p 18-9)

[scriptmyth]

Hi! I was wondering if you have anything on the Norse Goddess Saga and the Mesopotamian God Namtar?

Hello Nonny!

Here is all the info we could find. We hope you find it relevant and useful!

Namtar

Namtar (Namtaru, Namtara) is the son of Ereškigal (Ereshkigal), the goddess of the Underworld, and is the god of pestilence. He is sometimes argued to be the first born of Ereškigal because he is the vizier of the underworld and her messenger. Most stories containing Namtar have him obeying the commands and acting as the messenger of Ereškigal.

In Akkadian mythology, Enlil is Namtar’s father and, after creating humans, Enlil sends Namtar down to wipe them out with a plague because they are so loud that Enlil cannot sleep. A goddess sees what is happening, and stops it by having the humans focus their worship on Namtar who feels shame for killing people who so obviously love him.

In Sumeo and Babylonian mythology, Namtar is the son of Ninazu and Ereškigal, however, in later texts, he is the son of Enlil and Ereškigal or even Nergal and Ereškigal.

The most well known myth involving Namtar is when Ereškigal can’t go to a feast for the gods and send Namtar in her stead. All of the gods show him proper respect except for Nergal. Ereškigal demands he be killed in punishment and Nergal goes down into the Underworld and instead becomes Ereškigal’s husband. In the older version found in Tel-Amarna in Egypt, Nergal marries Ereškigal the first time he goes to the Underworld, in the second version, found in Uruk in Babylonia, Nergal leaves the Underworld and is brought back by Namtar before marrying Ereškigal.

The Babylonians believed that Namtar had power over sixty demons who were each an individual disease that attacked different parts of the body. In The Descent of Ishtar, Ereškigal orders Namtar to set sixty diseases upon Ishtar and he does:

“Disease of the eyes to her eyes,

Disease of the arms to her arms,

Disease of the feet to her feet,

Disease of the heart to her heart,

Disease of the head to her head,

To every part of her and to [word lost].” (The Descent of Ishtar)

In Gilgamesh, it is mentioned that Namtar is also the god of fate:

“To Namtar, who is fate, they weighed out the offering.” (The Epic of Gilgamesh)

Further Reading:

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Descent of Ishtar

Babylonian Ereshkigal and Nergal

Tel-Amarna Ereškigal and Nergal (this is a youtube video, every time the person says lekuna it means a word is missing)

Best wishes, 

Ajk’in

Sága

“Sökkvabekk is the fourth [home], | where cool waves flow,

And amid their murmur it stands;

There daily do Othin | and Saga drink

In gladness from cups of gold.”

“Grímnismál (Sayings of Grímnir)”, Stanza 7, Poetic Edda

Much of what we know about Sága comes from one stanza in Grimnismal, and there are a variety of translations into English that may change the meaning of the stanza. As Sökkvabekk is cited to be Sága’s home, this is frequently the primary meaning attributed to her - as such, Sága is considered to be the goddess of sunken banks, sunken benches, or treasure banks. As Sága’s home features “cool waves”, she is considered the goddess of water in general, and streams, springs, oceans, and any stretch of water in particular.

Because she drinks from golden cups (which can also vary in translation) with Odin, she’s also attributed to be the goddess of those, and by a stretch of the imagination gold itself.

An etymological deconstruction of Sága’s name leads many to believe that she is also the goddess of sagas, something that could be construed as poetry, history, and stories, depending on the source. Since her name also comes from Old Norse verb “sjá”, which means “to see”, some have taken this to mean that Sága is also a seer, which although Rudolf Simek has contested this interpretation of etymology, his alternate proposal that “saga” and “segja” (meaning “to say, tell”) is a more likely link holds a similar merit to the idea that Sága is a seeress.

Sága is also, as a bit of a footnote, known by the name of Laga - the goddess of cool water, springs, and bathing rooms. In Icelandic, Laga’s name means “to shape, mold” or “to fix, repair”. In Norwegian Nnyorsk, “to make”, and in Swedish, “to repair” or “to cook, make, prepare (food)”. According to her connection to Sága, Laga is also known as the goddess of lasting fame.

There are many theories that Sága is a form of Frigg, who herself is often combined with Freya as a two forms of a single goddess. The two most-formed arguments that scholars have to support this is the connection between Sága’s home of Sökkvabekk and Frigg’s home of Fensalir, and the idea that Sága may be considered a seeress like Frigg.

Frigg is said to visit Sága’s home frequently, and as Frigg’s home is a fen (a type of wetland), this coincides with Sökkvabekk’s being of a similar biome as the banks of, presumably, a stretch of water. Moving between two such highly similar places could correlate to a syncretism of the two goddesses.

Sága’s apparent connection to foresight via an etymological definition of her name, also supports syncretism between her and Frigg. As Frigg is a völva, she practices seiðr. This form of magic is generally restricted to women, and is concerned with destiny and prophecies - both things that require an ability to see the future. Sága may possibly be specifically the personification of seiðr in regards to prophecies (which by a few accounts, prophecies are a form of stories - this is a very loose interpretation), but this would strictly be conjecture and only vaguely supported by either source texts or scholarship.

Further Reading:

@fjorn-the-skald is a graduate student specializing in Medieval History, and his blog focuses on Medieval Iceland.

Sága and Sökkvabekkr - Wikipedia

Grímnismál: The Speech of the Masked One - Germanic Mythology: Texts, Translations, Scholarship

Saga - Goddess of poetry and history - The White Goddess

Saga (Göttin) - Wikipedia (German)

Laga - Vollmer’s Wörterbuch der Mythologie aller Völker (German)

Laga - Zeno Bibliothek (German)

Frigg - Norse Mythology for Smart People

Fensalir - Wikipedia

Völva - Wikipedia

Seiðr - Wikipedia

-the Chorus