Nergal and Ereshkigal
The Mesopotamian myth of how the god of plague came to rule the underworld beside its queen.
Core Characteristics
- Known from an Amarna copy of the 14th century BC and a longer Nineveh version.
- Nergal is sent down to apologise to Ereshkigal, seizes her at the gates, and will not leave again.
- Their marriage unites plague and death in one rule — the underworld politics Sumerian myth took seriously.
Related Concepts & Sources
Mesopotamian, Nergal, Ereshkigal