Nergal

Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali (Sumerian: d KIŠ.UNU[4] or d GÌR-

UNUG-GAL𒀭𒄊𒀕𒃲;[5] Hebrew: ‫נ ְֵרגַל‬, Modern: Nergal,
Nergal
God of war, plague, death, and
Tiberian: Nērḡál; Aramaic: ܸ ;[6] Latin: Nirgal) is a deity who was
disease
worshipped throughout ancient Mesopotamia (Akkad, Assyria, and
Babylonia) with the main seat of his worship at Cuthah represented
by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Other names for him are Erra and
Irra.

Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the deity of the city of

Cuth (Cuthah): "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and
the men of Cuth made Nergal" (2 Kings, 17:30). According to the
Talmudists, his emblem was a cockerel[7] and Nergal means a
"dunghill cock",[8] although standard iconography pictured Nergal as
a lion. He is a son of Enlil and Ninlil, along with Nanna and Ninurta.

Contents
Ancient Mesopotamian relief
Attributes
carving of Nergal from Hatra in Iraq,
Myths
dating to the first or second century
The Wrath of Erra
AD[1]
Nergal and Ereshkigal
Abode Kur or Irkalla
Cult places
Planet Mars
Time periods attested
Personal information
In demonology
Parents Enlil and Ninlil
See also
Siblings Nanna and Ninurta
References
Consort Ereshkigal (according
External links to some myths)
Equivalents
Attributes Elamite Simut,[2] Lagamar[3]
equivalent
A number of scholars in the early 20th century, for example E. G. H. Ugaritic Resheph
Kraeling, assumed that Nergal was, in part, a solar deity, sometimes equivalent
identified with Shamash, but only representative of a certain phase of
the sun, specifically the sun of noontime and of the summer solstice that brings destruction, high summer being
the dead season in the Mesopotamian annual cycle.[9] Modern Assyriologist Frans Wiggermann considers
Mars to be Nergal's sole astral domain,[10] though he mentions "day-demons" among his entourage.[11] God
lists associate him with Simut,[12] an Elamite god viewed as a personification of Mars in Mesopotamia,[13]
rather than Shamash. He has nonetheless also been called "the king of sunset,"[14] possibly due to the belief
that at night the sun traveled through the underworld, his domain. Over time Nergal developed from a war god
to a god of the underworld.[15] In the mythology, this occurred when Enlil and Ninlil gave him the
underworld.[14]
Nergal was also the deity who presides over the netherworld, and who stands
at the head of the special pantheon assigned to the government of the dead
(supposed to be gathered in a large cave known as Aralu or Irkalla). In this
capacity, he has associated with him a goddess Allatu or Ereshkigal, though at
one time Allatu may have functioned as the sole mistress of Aralu, ruling in
her own person. In some texts, the god Ninazu is the son of Nergal and
Allatu/Ereshkigal.

Ordinarily, Nergal pairs with his consort Laz. Standard iconography pictured
Nergal as a lion, and boundary-stone monuments symbolise him with a mace
surmounted by the head of a lion.
Nergal symbol, Old-
Nergal's fiery aspect appears in names or epithets such as Lugalgira, Lugal- Babylonian fired clay plaque
banda (Nergal as the fighting-cock),[16] Sharrapu ("the burner"),[17] Erra, from Nippur, Southern
Gibil (though this name more properly belongs to Nusku), and Sibitti or Mesopotamian, Iraq
Seven.[18] A certain confusion exists in cuneiform literature between Ninurta
(slayer of Asag and wielder of Sharur, an enchanted mace) and
Nergal. Nergal has epithets such as the "raging king", the "furious
one", and the like. A play upon his name—separated into three
elements as Ne-uru-gal (light of the great Ûru;[19] lord of the great
dwelling)—expresses his position at the head of the nether-world
pantheon. Nergal's warlike nature also made him a god defending the
realm, whose presence was regarded as necessary for peace - in this
role he was known under the title Lugal-Silimma ("The lord of
peace").[20]
Fragments of a vessel dedicated to
In the late Babylonian astral-theological system, Nergal is related to the temple of Nergal in Nineveh,
the planet Mars. As a fiery god of destruction and war, Nergal showing Shalmaneser III kneeling
doubtless seemed an appropriate choice for the red planet, and he was before Nergal, currently held in the
equated by the Greeks to the war-god Ares (Latin Mars)—hence the British Museum in London
current name of the planet. In Assyro-Babylonian ecclesiastical art,
the great lion-headed colossi serving as guardians to the temples and
palaces seem to symbolise Nergal, just as the bull-headed colossi probably typify Ninurta.

Nergal's chief temple at Cuthah bore the name Meslam, from which the god receives the designation of
Meslamtaeda or Meslamtaea, "the one that rises up from Meslam". The name Meslamtaeda/Meslamtaea
indeed is found as early as the list of gods from Fara while the name Nergal only begins to appear in the
Akkadian period. Amongst the Hurrians and later Hittites, Nergal was known as Aplu, a name derived from
the Akkadian Apal Enlil, (Apal being the construct state of Aplu) meaning "the son of Enlil". As god of the
plague, he was invoked during the "plague years" during the reign of the Hittite king Suppiluliuma, when this
disease spread from Egypt.

The worship of Nergal does not appear to have spread as widely as that of Ninurta, but in the late Babylonian
and early Persian period, syncretism seems to have fused the two divinities, which were invoked together as if
they were identical. Hymns and votive and other inscriptions of Babylonian and Assyrian rulers frequently
invoke him, but we do not learn of many temples to him outside of Cuthah. The Assyrian king Sennacherib
speaks of one at Tarbisu to the north of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, but significantly, although
Nebuchadnezzar II (606–586 BC), the great temple-builder of the neo-Babylonian monarchy, alludes to his
operations at Meslam in Cuthah, he makes no mention of a sanctuary to Nergal in Babylon. Local associations
with his original seat—Kutha—and the conception formed of him as a god of the dead acted in making him
feared rather than actively worshipped.
Myths

The Wrath of Erra

In this myth, Nergal is feeling dull and bored. To wake himself up, he decides to attack Babylon. However,
Babylon is under the protection of Marduk, the most powerful of the gods. Nergal travels to Babylon on the
ruse of a friendly visit. Pretending to show shock at the appearance of Marduk's clothing, he convinces the god
to get a change of clothing and leave the city. Once Marduk has left Babylon, Irra attacks the city. People are
slain in the streets. Soon Irra is satisfied and stops the attack and makes a prophecy about a great leader to
protect the people.[21]

Nergal and Ereshkigal

According to this myth, the gods have created a banquet for which all deities are invited. However, Ereshkigal
is unable to leave the underworld. Instead, she sends her son Namtar to take a share of 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. Nergal takes with him 14 demons. When he arrives,
the gatekeeper Neti gets orders from Ereshkigal to allow him through the seven gates, stripping him of
everything until the throne room, where he would be killed. But at each gate, Nergal posts two demons. When
he gets to the throne he knocks over Namtar and drags Ereshkigal to the floor. He is about to kill her with his
ax when she pleads for her life, promising her as his wife and to share her power with him. He consents.
However, Nergal must still leave the underworld for six months, so Ereshkigal gives him back his demons and
allows him to traverse the upper world for that time, after which he returns to her. This myth shows how war is
fought in seasons.[21]

Cult places
The main cult centre of Nergal was Kutha, and also enjoyed patronage over Mashkan-shapir. Cults are also
attested for Dilbat, Isin, Larsa, Nippur, Ur and Uruk.[23]

Time periods attested

Earliest evidence on Nergal is as the god Meslamtaea in Kutha, in god-lists from Fara and Abu Salabikh. The
name Nergal first appears in the Ur III period (22nd to 21st century BC). In the second millennium, Nergal
comes to co-rule the underworld with Ereškigal. In the Neo-Assyrian period, he is attested as a significant
figure in official Assyrian religious veneration.[23]

In demonology
Because he was a god of fire, the desert, and the Underworld and also a god from ancient paganism, later
Christian writers sometimes identified Nergal as a demon and even identified him with Satan.

According to Collin de Plancy and Johann Weyer, not writing before the 16th century, Nergal was depicted by
witches or magi as the chief of Hell's "secret police", and worked as "an honorary spy in the service of
Beelzebub".

See also
 Apollo, connected to Aplu
Ghosts in Mesopotamian religions
Hades
Mamitu
Mars
Mot
Odin
Pazuzu
Set
Tyr

References
Foundation tablet. Dedication to God Nergal by Hurrian
1. Drijvers, H. J. W. (1980). Cults and Beliefs
king Atalshen, king of Urkish and Nawar, Habur Bassin,
at Edessa (https://books.google.com/book
circa 2000 BC. Louvre Museum AO 5678.
s?id=69YUAAAAIAAJ&q=Nergal+Hatra&p
"Of Nergal the lord of Hawalum, Atal-shen, the caring
g=PA105). Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J.
shepherd, the king of Urkesh and Nawar, the son of
Brill. p. 105. ISBN 90-04-06050-2.
Sadar-mat the king, is the builder of the temple of
2. Sh. Zaia, Commentary on Weidner's God Nergal, the one who overcomes opposition. Let
List (CCP 6.7.B) (https://ccp.yale.edu/P285 Shamash and Ishtar destroy the seeds of whoever
539), Cuneiform Commentaries Project (E. removes this tablet. Shaum-shen is the craftsman."[22]
Frahm, E. Jiménez, M. Frazer, and K.
Wagensonner), 2013–2021; accessed
June 5, 2021, at
https://ccp.yale.edu/P285539. DOI:
10079/s1rn92h
3. W. G. Lambert, Lāgamāl [in] Reallexikon
der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen
Archäologie (http://publikationen.badw.de/e
n/rla/index) vol 6, 1983, p. 418-419
4. Wiggermann, Frans. "Nergal B." (https://ww
w.academia.edu/2378480). Reallexikon
der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen
Archäologie. Walter de Gruyter.
5. Borger R. (2004), Mesopotamisches
Zeichenlexikon, Münster, p.402
6. "The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon" (htt
p://cal.huc.edu/oneentry.php?lemma=nrgl+
d%20&cits=all). cal.huc.edu. Retrieved
2021-01-05.
7. "2 Kings 17:30" (http://clarke.biblecomment
er.com/2_kings/17.htm). Clarke's
Commentary on the Bible.
biblecommenter.com.
8. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1900)."Cock
and Bull story" (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=6-DQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA268).
Dictionary of phrase and fable: giving the
derivation, source, or origin of common
phrases, allusions, and words that have a
tale to tell. p. 268.
 9. E. G. H. Kraeling, The Early Cult of Hebron
and Judg. 16:1-3 (https://www.jstor.org/stabl
e/528698?seq=1#), The American Journal
of Semitic Languages and Literatures Vol.
41, No. 3, 1925, p. 175
10. F. Wiggerman, Nergal A. philologisch (http
s://www.academia.edu/2378481/Nergal_A)
[in:] Reallexikon der Assyriologie und
vorderasiatischen Archäologie vol. 9, 2001,
p. 222-223
11. F. Wiggerman, Nergal A. philologisch (http
s://www.academia.edu/2378481/Nergal_A)
[in:] Reallexikon der Assyriologie und
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p. 220
12. Sh. Zaia, Commentary on Weidner's God
List (CCP 6.7.B) (https://ccp.yale.edu/P285
539), Cuneiform Commentaries Project (E.
Frahm, E. Jiménez, M. Frazer, and K.
Wagensonner), 2013–2021; accessed April
30, 2021, at https://ccp.yale.edu/P285539.
DOI: 10079/s1rn92h
13. W. M. F. Henkelman, Šimut (https://www.ac
ademia.edu/2438476/%C5%A0imut) [in:]
Reallexikon der Assyriologie und
vorderasiatischen Archäologie vol. 12,
2011, p. 512
14. Zolyomi, Gabor (2010). "Hymns to Ninisina
and Nergal on the Tablets Ash 1911.235
and Ni 9672" in Your Praise Is Sweet: A
Memorial Volume for Jeremy Black from
Students, Colleagues, and Friends.
London: British Institute for the Study of
Iraq. pp. 413–428.
15. Munnich, Maciej M. (2013). The God
Resheph in the Ancient Near East.
Tubingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck. pp. 62–
63.
16. Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics (http
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ergal-Mesopotamian-deity) in
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Murderer, Traitor, King (https://books.googl
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34&lpg=PA334&dq=Sibitti+bible&source=b
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19. Clay, Albert T. (1 March 2014). Amurru: The
Home of the Northern Semites (https://book
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&q=Ne-uru-gal&pg=PA137). Wipf and
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20. F. Wiggerman, Nergal A. philologisch (http
s://www.academia.edu/2378481/Nergal_A)
[in:] Reallexikon der Assyriologie und
vorderasiatischen Archäologie vol. 9, 2001,
p. 222
21. "Nergal" (https://www.worldhistory.org/Nerg
al/). World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved
2018-04-15.
22. "Royal inscriptions" (http://urkesh.org/page
s/571.htm). urkesh.org.
23. "Nergal (god)" (http://oracc.museum.upenn.
edu/amgg/listofdeities/nergal/).
oracc.museum.upenn.edu.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed.
(1911). "Nergal". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links
Media related to Nergal at Wikimedia Commons
ETCSL "A hymn to Nergal" and "A tigi to Nergal": Unicode (https://web.archive.org/web/20090
113233004/http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.4.15*) and ASCII (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20090114023629/http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.4.1
5*&charenc=j)
Ereskigal.net – "Ereshkigal and Nergal": Assyrian version (https://web.archive.org/web/200504
22212706/http://www.mindwidth.com/ereshkigal/index.php?ID=1009&cat=3) and Amarna
version (https://web.archive.org/web/20050308042708/http://www.mindwidth.com/ereshkigal/in
dex.php?ID=1010&cat=3)
Gateway to Babylon: Nergal and Ereshkigal (http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/myths/texts/cl
assic/ereshner1.htm)

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