Ereshkigal in Mesopotamian tradition
As Queen of the Netherworld, Ereshkigal rules the Great Below, its dead and their spirits, its gates and its laws. In the story of Nergal and Ereshkigal, she summoned Nergal after he insulted her envoy, and he entered Kur, the Land of No Return. He became her lover, returned as her husband, and ruled beside her as co-ruler of the Netherworld.
The quick answers
Who is Ereshkigal?
Ereshkigal is a Mesopotamian deity associated with the Netherworld; the dead and their spirits; death and mortality; and the gates and laws of the Netherworld.Source
Source
- Babylonian mythology
- The Oxford Companion to World Mythology
- The Big Book of World Mythology
- Babylonian Creation Myths
What is Ereshkigal the goddess of?
Ereshkigal is associated with the Netherworld; the dead and their spirits; death and mortality; and the gates and laws of the Netherworld.Source
Source
- Babylonian mythology
- The Oxford Companion to World Mythology
- The Big Book of World Mythology
What family links are recorded for Ereshkigal?
Father: Anu, Spouse: Nergal, 1 child, 2 siblings.
Ereshkigal’s family, at a glance
The names Ereshkigal answers to
Allatu
Akkadian name for the queen of the Netherworld
SourceBabylonian Creation Myths
Ninkigal
Lady of the Great Earth
SourceBabylonian Creation Myths
Belet-eri
Lady of the Earth
SourceBabylonian Creation Myths
The myths of Ereshkigal
1 myth, with sources recorded for each.
Nergal and Ereshkigal
Ereshkigal summoned Nergal to the underworld after he insulted her envoy. Nergal entered Kur, the realm beneath the earth ruled by Ereshkigal and known as the Land of No Return.
Ereshkigal took Nergal as her lover, then secured his return as her husband and co-ruler of the underworld.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Babylonian mythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“After Nergal insults Ereshkigal’s envoy, she summons him to the underworld, takes him as her lover, and secures his return as her husband and co-ruler.”
the ancient sources
- 3Babylonian mythologyT1
The wider mythology
Works that draw on more of the mythology than any single story: full retellings of the saga, and worlds built out of the material.
Star Dancer
Book
Ereshkigal as the feared Queen of the Netherworld whom Inanna must confront, within a wider gathering of Mesopotamian myth into one saga.
Also mentioned in
Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Ereshkigal, each on that figure’s page.
- Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld · on Inanna
- Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld · on Ishtar
- Inanna’s Revenge on Bilulu · on Ishtar
- Nergal and Ereshkigal · on Nergal
- Dumuzi’s Capture and Seasonal Return · on Tammuz
2 works catalogued
This catalogue brings together reviewed connections and candidates for Ereshkigal: reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. A row is not proof by itself. Reviewed connections appear in Overview, beneath a story or under The wider mythology.
Showing 2 of 2 works.
Film1
- Ereshkigal - A Rainha dos MortosRework
Book1
- Star DancerRework
A catalogue row is not proof by itself. Reviewed connections appear in Overview, beneath a story or under The wider mythology.
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. How a page gets built.
3 sources are cited on this page and listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Ereshkigal. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/ereshkigal
"Ereshkigal." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/ereshkigal.
"Ereshkigal." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/ereshkigal.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the sources listed above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only confirmed connections are presented as modern retellings in Overview.