Ereshkigal
Ereshkigal
Sumerian queen of the Underworld in Mesopotamian mythology, Ereshkigal rules the kingdom of the dead known as Kur or Irkalla. Sister of the goddess Inanna, she embodies the relentless power of death and the underworld, as described in Sumerian cuneiform texts.
Key Facts
- Mentioned in Sumerian cuneiform texts as early as around 2500 BCE, she is one of the oldest known goddesses of the Underworld.
- She is central to the myth of the 'Descent of Inanna into the Underworld', preserved on Sumerian tablets discovered at Nippur and Ur.
- Her name means 'Great Lady of the Earth' or 'Lady of the Great Below' in Sumerian.
- In the myth of Inanna, Ereshkigal kills her sister who attempts to seize her throne, illustrating the inviolable boundary between the living and the dead.
- She also appears in the Akkadian myth of Nergal and Ereshkigal (c. 1400–1200 BCE), in which she marries Nergal, the god of war.
Works & Achievements
Poème épique sumérien dans lequel Ereshkigal joue le rôle central de souveraine intransigeante des Enfers. Ce texte est l'un des plus anciens récits littéraires de l'humanité et constitue la principale source sur la déesse.
Adaptation akkadienne du mythe sumérien, dans laquelle Ereshkigal conserve son rôle et son nom. Ce texte, découvert sur une tablette d'Assur, illustre la transmission et la transformation des mythes entre cultures mésopotamiennes.
Mythe babylonien racontant comment le dieu de la guerre Nergal devient l'époux d'Ereshkigal, lui donnant un compagnon pour régner sur les Enfers. Conservé sur des tablettes découvertes à Amarna (Égypte) et Sultantepe (Turquie).
Ensemble de compositions liturgiques sumériennes adressées à Ereshkigal, récitées lors des rites funéraires. Ces textes témoignent du culte rendu à la déesse dans les temples et lors des cérémonies de deuil.
Catalogue canonique babylonien qui liste et hiérarchise les divinités mésopotamiennes. Ereshkigal y figure comme souveraine incontestée du monde souterrain, ce qui atteste de son importance dans le panthéon officiel.
Anecdotes
In the Sumerian myth 'The Descent of Inanna to the Underworld,' Ereshkigal orders that her sister Inanna be stripped of her adornments at each of the seven gates of the underworld. This episode symbolizes absolute submission to the laws of death, from which even the gods cannot escape.
According to the Akkadian myth 'The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld,' Ereshkigal is seized by pains compared to those of a woman in labor when confronted with suffering — showing that the queen of the dead is not without feeling, but simply the sovereign of a relentless order.
In the myth of 'Nergal and Ereshkigal,' the war god Nergal descends to the Underworld and becomes Ereshkigal's husband following a tumultuous confrontation. This tale is one of the few Mesopotamian myths to describe a romantic relationship between underworld deities.
Ereshkigal possesses the power of the 'death gaze': her mere look can kill. When Inanna descends to the underworld, Ereshkigal strikes her down with this gaze and transforms her sister into a corpse hung on a hook — a striking image of death's absolute power over life.
The name Ereshkigal literally means 'Great Lady of the Earth' in Sumerian (ereš = lady/queen, ki = earth, gal = great). Her realm, known as 'Kur' or 'Irkalla,' was conceived as a dark underworld where the dead led a pale and dreary existence, drinking dust and never seeing the light.
Primary Sources
Inanna abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, descended to the underworld. [...] At the first gate, the great crown was removed from her head. [...] Ereshkigal looked at her with the eyes of death.
When Ishtar descended to the Land of No Return, the daughter of Sin turned her ear to the dark land [...]. Ereshkigal heard her and her face grew pale as a severed vine.
Ereshkigal opened her mouth and said to Nergal: 'You shall be my husband and I shall be your wife. I will give you kingship over the vast underworld.'
Ereshkigal, great lady of the underworld, whose decrees are unalterable, whose orders cannot be revoked, whose words are sacred.
Key Places
The main religious center of Sumer, where the most complete versions of the Ereshkigal myths were written and preserved. The archives of the Temple of Enlil at Nippur are the primary source of cuneiform texts relating to her.
The realm of the dead ruled by Ereshkigal in Sumerian cosmology, located beneath the earth and accessible only through guarded gates. This mythical place is described as dark, dusty, and from which no living being could return.
A great Sumerian city where the cult of chthonic deities was practiced. The Royal Tombs of Ur (c. 2600 BCE) bear witness to Mesopotamian beliefs about death and the passage into Ereshkigal's realm.
The repository of thousands of cuneiform tablets containing the myths of Ereshkigal in their Akkadian versions. Discovered in the 19th century, this library enabled the modern rediscovery of Mesopotamian mythology.
The sacred city of Inanna, Ereshkigal's sister, and the mythological and religious capital of Sumer. It is from Uruk that Inanna begins her descent into the Underworld to confront her sister in the foundational myth.
Gallery
EB1911 - Volume 09
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Various authors: see the Wikisource pages for the contibutors of each article.
The Mythology of all races ...
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Gray, Louis H. (Louis Herbert), 1875-1955 Moore, George Foot, 1851-1931 MacCulloch, J. A. (John Arnott), 1868-1950
British Museum Queen of the Night
Wikimedia Commons, CC0 — Inconnu
AN00969955 001 l
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Richard Cosway
Ereshkigal
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Quidquid
Evenisation
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Conricus
The Babylonian expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A, Cuneiform texts
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — University of Pennsylvania. Babylonian Expedition Hilprecht, Hermann Vollrat, 1859-1925 University of Pennsylvania.
The Babylonian expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A, Cuneiform texts
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — University of Pennsylvania. Babylonian Expedition Hilprecht, Hermann Vollrat, 1859-1925 University of Pennsylvania.
Cuneiform parallels to the Old Testament
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Rogers, Robert William, 1864-1930
THE BIBLICAL WORLD 1910-03: Vol 35 Iss 3
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Inconnu