Across every pantheon in virtually every culture, there is always a dichotomy of good
and evil - or perhaps, a contrast of order and chaos. For every deity that represented peace,
love, growth and health there was always to be a corresponding deity that represented war, hatred,
destruction and disease. In the Greek Pantheon for example, Eros the god of love was met by Eris, the
god of strife. Meanwhile in the Norse pantheon, Thor, a representation of order was met with Loki,
a representation of chaos. For every god in history who brought its people food, sanctuary and
hospitality there was always a god that provided the antitheses by in some cases, ruining crops,
destroying homes and bringing about calamities. These gods were not necessarily evil and despite
their cruel ways, they were still revered by the people and certainly not challenged nor
confronted. Realistically, the people of ancient times needed these gods in order to explain why
their crops had not yielded a satisfactory amount, or why there was a crippling famine.
They needed the gods to justify why their loved ones had become sick, or why diseases had taken
their toll on entire civilisations. They needed the gods to provide them with answers for their
suffering that they themselves simply did not have and with these gods, they were able to
achieve a certain understanding that in some manner, may have brought them some closure.
As stated, every pantheon appeared to have these ‘destructive’ and ‘mean’ gods
that seemed to conspire against humanity and the Mesopotamian pantheon was no exception.
Nergal, who was also known as Erra and or Irra, was known as the god of death,
war, plague and destruction. His origins are not absolutely clear,
though one might argue that he had been introduced first during the Babylonian times and been used
to explain the poor yield of crops during various seasons. In this, it is likely that he was seen as
an agricultural god like Enlil, though where Enlil had encouraged the humans to farm and gave them
the gift of the land in which to do it, Nergal was seen as the uprooter who sought to destroy
that which the humans had been given. Despite this, he was still revered and even worshipped
given that he was not seen as a vindictive God, but considered more so in the same vein as nature.
One would not consider nature to be evil, but more so an unstoppable force that does what it
does arbitrarily. If anything, one might think of nature as a spectacular essence that cannot
be controlled. It is with this attitude that the Mesopotamians would view Nergal, he who symbolised
the destructive force of the natural world, where he could be seen striding through the desert,
the forest, the ocean or even the towns in which people lived. With his mace and scimitar in hand,
he could destroy anything that was in his path and he did not require any reason or motive for
his terror, he simply just was. Furthermore, he did not appear to demonstrate any regret
for his actions and did not stop to ponder on the desolation left in his wake, for with these
ideas he was much less personable and did not share the sentimentalities of the other gods.
In other ideas, his destruction was seen as an uncontrollable temper - something that he would
declare to the other gods when questioned for his behaviour. Yet, these tempers were
seldom triggered by any notable stimulus, they simply just happened as if by impulse.
In this regard, Nergal was not seen to be a god of punishment, nor a god who enforced any sort
of divine karma, and whilst he certainly had the ability, it would seem that breaking things
and tearing apart man-made constructs was just his nature, rather than an act of reparation.
Because of how effective he was at destroying things, it was not uncommon for soldiers and kings
to call upon Nergal to give them strength. In this aspect, he was also seen as a God of war
and brought strength to the men who had summoned him. It was also believed that in this, he could
be invoked as a protective deity and would see those who summoned him not only victorious,
but safe. With Nergal on their side - a god who could literally level a city in seconds - it
comes as no surprise that the military in question would have a huge boost in morale and would likely
ease their fears of possible defeat. Despite his warlike nature though, he was also thought
to be a defender of the realm, whose presence was considered to be ‘necessary for peace’.
In this, he was known under the epithet ‘Lugal-Silimma’ or ‘The Lord of Peace’.
Given his fearsome reputation, he would also become a desirable deity for people to invoke
in order to, ironically, protect their homes. In other beliefs, Nergal could be called upon
to battle evil demons and spirits - perhaps on the account that in one myth as discussed
later in this episode, Nergal proves to be able to manipulate demons to his advantage.
According to ancient incantations, Nergal was a principle deity that helped banish such wicked
spirits and could also in some cases be described as the right hand of the ancient priests.
There’s also an idea that as a deity who brought about plagues, he also possessed
the antidote and could be pleaded to by the afflicted in order to obtain it and recover.
Yet, others propose that this was not something that was practiced and that prayers to the god
to end their suffering would fall upon deaf ears. It would in some sense be like praying to Nergal
to stop a disaster which he had caused, which you might say was foolish to do,
for Nergal was not really capable of empathy towards the other gods, let alone humans.
Yet outside of Mesopotamia, he was viewed not just as a force of destruction, but also
a raging abomination - most notably by those who followed the bible. Indeed, Nergal is
recognised in the second book of Kings where he is noted as being worshipped by the Babylonians.
His name in this instance translates into something far more unsavoury,
including epithets such as ‘furious one’, ‘angry king’, ‘fighting cock’ and my personal favourite,
‘the burner of lands’. It’s interesting then that other cultures at the time also
acknowledged Nergal and while they likely did not pay the same homage to him, nor even
believe in his power to be as potent as their god’s, they did recognise him as a destroyer.
Worship of Nergal was thought to have been most prominent in the region of Kutha,
which was where his main cult centre was situated.
Yet, worship of him did spread throughout southern Mesopotamia, across Ur, Uruk, Nippur and of course
the Babylonian regions. Furthermore, he was also adopted by the Assyirans as a similar deity.
He was also believed to have been worshipped at a temple
known as E-meslam and was known thereafter as the one who comes forth from Meslam.
In the region of Kutha, he would first appear in the Early Dynastic Period,
though he was known by another name in ‘Meslamtaea’ - he who was an underworld god. With
this, Nergal would later also earn the reputation as being an authority figure in the underworld,
otherwise known as Kur. It should also be noted that he would become the husband of Ereshkigal,
she who was the queen of the Underworld and in effect, by marriage, made him king.
In the mythology, we see Nergal’s rise (and fall) into the Underworld come about because
of his own behaviour. We understand that Enki, the god of wisdom, was trying to find ways in
which to minimise the destruction caused by Nergal’s temper. With no other option,
he resorts to sending Nergal to Ereshkigal in the Underworld, which he believes is the only place
which can safely contain him. We know how much Enki cared for humanity and how more than once,
he was willing to stick his neck out for them in order to ensure their survival. But this occasion
seems to be one that stands out the most, given that he took a risk in reasoning with Nergal
and later tricking him into entering what essentially was meant to be a prison.
The myth known as appropriately as Nergal and Ereshkigal
shows us how the gods prepare a great banquet and invite all the other gods to join.
Given that Ereskhigal was not allowed to leave the underworld,
Ereshkigal sends her son Namtar to attend in her stead as well as to bring her back some food
so that she does not miss out. When Namtar arrived at the dinner hall of the gods, everyone rose
and bowed to him as a sign of respect to his mother. But Nergal remained seated. Whether this
was done in defiance, or because he simply did not understand given his volatile nature is not known,
but Namtar demanded that Nergal be punished for his disrespect.
But the gods do not seem keen to tackle Nergal, nor reprimand him for his slight.
So they brush his slight under the carpet and encourage Namtar to let it go. When Namtar returns
to the Underworld, he tells his mother Ereshkigal what had happened, which then angers her.
She sends Namtar once more to the realm of the living inviting Nergal to the
Underworld so that she may kill him. When Namtar delivers the message,
the gods take the request seriously and do indeed end up sending Nergal to the underworld to answer
for his offence. However, Enki supplies Nergal with fourteen demons to escort him through the
seven gates of the Underworld and this might’ve been seen as not only a protection bestowed on
Nergal by Enki, but also a means to pay him off leave. When Nergal arrives at the Underworld,
Ereshkigal is notified of his presence and she declares that each gate will close behind him as
he passes them by, trapping him forever, and once he reaches the seventh gate, she will kill him.
But there appears to be some method to Nergal’s madness and the violent devastator
shows to have not only brawn, but brain too. He positions the demons that Enki had given him
at each of the seven gates and orders them to keep them open. There, he makes his way to the
seventh gate and the throne room of Ereshkigal, where he beats her son Namtar before her eyes and
then drags her to the floor. Before he can behead her with his weapon, she begs for her life and
promises that if he spares her, she will marry him and share her power of the netherworld with him.
As you might imagine, Nergal eagerly accepts. But Nergal could not stay in the underworld forever,
for if he did, there would be no war and death plaguing the mortal world. Whilst this
was Enki’s intention so that humanity would not know the pains of suffering, he did not
anticipate Nergal being so smart, nor could he have possibly predicted that Ereshkigal would have
been essentially overthrown in her own realm. In this, we understand that Nergal had to leave the
underworld for six months of the year, which would explain why wars were fought in certain seasons.
In another version of this story, we see that Nergal is not responsible for placing
the demons at the gates of the underworld, but that this is Enki’s idea, thus rendering Nergal
back into his usual role as ‘mindless destroyer’. Furthermore, he demonstrates
a typical level of capriciousness by having sex with Erehskigal instead of trying to kill her.
After a week of fornicaion with the goddess of the underworld, he leaves her bed whilst she
sleeps and escapes from the netherworld. When she realises he is absent, she calls for the
gods to send him back again and threatens them that if she does not receive what she wants,
she will open the gates of the underworld and let the demons feast upon the world above.
With this ultimatum, Nergal is forced back to the underworld again.
Besides being associated with the Underworld, he was also associated with death - perhaps an
understatement given his nature. Some would see him as a representation of a harsh summer sun,
that which scorched the earth and left the land infertile. Whilst the sun was
necessary in the production of crops, the over abundance of it was sometimes attributed
to the power of Nergal and considered to be a manifestation of his furious temper.
As for his family, we understand that he was the son of Enlil and Ninlil,
those who might have been considered to be the king and queen of the gods of the pantheon. Yet,
given his destructive ways and potent power, some have linked him to having been born to Ninhursag,
the mother goddess who was thought to have created all human beings.
In this, Nergal’s destructive tendencies become a hyperbole for our own human behaviour
and shows the extremes of what we as a species are capable of, in terms of destruction. By suggesting
that mankind and Nergal were born from the same place, an argument can be made that humanity
exhibits the same disastrous traits, although perhaps in a much more pernicious capacity.
Nergal was also romantically involved with several other wives/consorts outside of Ereshkigal,
including the minor deity Las and Mammi. In another myth known as the Wrath of Erra,
where Nergal is referred to by his other name, he is described as being bored and lethargic.
We come to understand that he has not caused much terror upon the world and that his regular
tantrums have been uncharacteristically contained within his new found laziness.
In fact, he is described as becoming so physically absent from the endeavours of the earth,
that even his weapons begin to complain that they haven’t seen much action lately. Their words
arouse in him his old desire for destruction and so he turns his sights upon the city of Babylon.
Now, Babylon had since come under the protection of Marduk, who having already usurped Enlil,
was now the king of the gods, and certainly not someone that any of the gods wanted to
tangle with. It’s interesting that despite his violent and ferocious ways, Erra takes pause
to acknowledge Marduk and for perhaps the first time, considers the consequences of his actions.
He travels to Babylon under the guise that he is just visiting
and when he is received by Marduk, he pretends to be amused by his attire.
This is the first time that we see Nergal, or Erra in this case, act in such a way.
He is no longer the unreasonable, unconditional force of destruction that we’ve come to expect,
but instead takes on a more calculated and cunning role in order to deceive Marduk. Evidently,
it would appear that Marduk was the only other god that Erra feared, which not only hints at
the power of Marduk, but also supplies us with a more deceitful and crafty character.
Nonetheless, we see him laughing at how Marduk is dressed
and tells him that he ought to buy new clothes, for the ones he is wearing are dirty and worn.
So embarrassed by this, Marduk entrusts Erra to guard Babylon whilst he is away
finding new clothes. When he leaves to find a new outfit, Erra destroys the entire city.
Being established as a destructive force in both the natural world and in human nature,
Nergal certainly comes across as a most profound deity. It is perhaps his lack of remorse or regret
for his actions that make him so fearsome, and it is with his violent impulses and bad temper
that make him so comparable to that of nature itself. As previously mentioned, it was Nergal’s
unpredictable rage and lack of self-control that helped provide a meaning for the suffering that
occurred throughout the early period. Whilst the gods were thought to love the human beings, most
notably on the account that they had made humans to serve as co-workers in upholding both universal
order and the maintenance of the earth, plagues, famines and disasters were bound to take place.
It comes as no surprise then that the Mesopotamians associated these calamities with a
God, for who else would have been powerful enough to send these terribles occurrences upon them?
It’s also quite fitting that the God responsible for these disasters
was one who could not be reasoned with, one who could not feel guilty
and one who even the other gods appeared to keep at arm's length when they could.
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