Nergal, in Mesopotamian religion, is the secondary god of the Sumerian-Akkadian pantheon. He was identified with Irra, the god of scorched earth and war, and with Meslamtaea, the one who comes from Meslam. He was the main focus of his cult. Later, he was thought to be a “destructive flame” and had the epithet sharrapu (“burner”).
Assyrian documents from the first millennium BC describe him as a benefactor of men, who hears prayers, restores life to the dead, and protects agriculture and herds. Hymns depict him as a god of plague, famine, and devastation.
Nergal’s other sphere of power was the underworld, of which he became king. According to one text, Nergal, escorted by demons, descended into the underworld where the goddess Ereshkigal (or Allatum) was queen. He threatened to cut off her head, but she saved herself by becoming his wife, and Nergal gained kingship over the underworld.
Nergal did not feature prominently in epics and myths, although he did participate in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of the flood. The cult of Nergal spread beyond the borders of Sumer and Akkad, where it first appeared. He had a sanctuary in Mari, on the Euphrates. He is mentioned in the inscriptions of the Assyrian kings, and evidence of his cult is found in Canaan and Athens.
1. Attested periods
The earliest evidence of Nergal is as the god Meslamtaea in Kutha, in the lists of gods of Fara and Abu Salabikh. The name Nergal first appears in the Ur III period (22nd to 21st century BC). In the second millennium, Nergal came to co-rule the underworld with Ereskigal. In the Neo-Assyrian period, he is attested as a significant figure in official Assyrian religious worship.
2. Myths
Here are some of the most notable myths about Nergal:
The Wrath of Erra
In this Mesopotamian myth, Nergal feels bored and annoyed. To wake himself up, he decides to attack Babylon. However, Babylon is under the protection of the god Marduk, the most powerful of the gods. Nergal travels to Babylon under the pretext of a friendly visit.
Pretending to be surprised by Marduk’s clothing, he convinces the god to change his clothes and leave the city. Once Marduk has left Babylon, Irra attacks the city.
People are killed in the streets. After the massacre, Irra is satisfied and stops the attack, making a prophecy about a great leader who will protect the people.
Nergal and Ereshkigal
According to this myth, the gods have created a banquet to which all the deities are invited. However, Ereshkigal cannot leave the underworld. Instead, she sends her son Namtar to take part in the feast.
When Namtar arrives, the other deities rise out of respect, except for Erra. Insulted, Namtar goes home and tells his mother. Enki and other gods tell Nergal to enter the underworld. The god takes 14 demons with him.
3. Places of worship
Nergal’s main center of worship was Kutha, and he also enjoyed patronage over Mashkan-shapir. Sects are also attested in Dilbat, Isin, Larsa, Nippur, Ur, and Uruk.
4. In demonology
Because he was a god of fire, the desert, and the underworld, as well as a god of ancient paganism, later Christian writers sometimes identified this god as a demon and even identified him with Satan.
According to Collin de Plancy and Johann Weyer, Nergal was depicted as the head of the “secret police” of hell and worked as “an honorary spy in the service of Beelzebub.”
5. In popular culture
- He has been turned into Nurgle, the god of chaos, pestilence, and decay, and in sharp contrast to that, he is also the god of rebirth in the Games Workshop Warhammer universe. Nurgle is the only Chaos deity with connections to real-world deities.
- He is a recurring character in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, after marrying Billy’s aunt and eventually having a son named Nergal Jr., who also becomes a recurring character in the animated series.
- In the DC/Vertigo comic book series Hellblazer, the Babylonian god turned demon is one of John Constantine’s most dangerous and persistent enemies.
