Mesopotamian

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Mesopotamian

Ereshkigal

The Queen of the Underworld

Domain: Underworld & Death
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Element: Darkness
Relics of Power: Throne of Lapis Lazuli

Speak with Ereshkigal

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5 sections of this entry are open to everyone: the summary, the people, the symbols, the lineage and the sources. The other 9 (Name and epithets, In the ancient sources, The myths, Worship and archaeology, How the god was depicted, What scholars debate, After antiquity, Did you know?, Codex relic) are part of the full Codex: PRO opens the whole study of all 500 deities, and without a subscription you can read one full entry a day, just like in the app.

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The People

People

Sumerians, Akkadians & Babylonians

Region

Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)

Period

c. 3500 – 500 BC

The Mesopotamian gods were worshipped by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, the cradle of writing and cities. Each city raised a ziggurat to its patron god, served by a powerful priestly caste. Their myths, such as the Enuma Elish and the Epic of Gilgamesh, are among the oldest in the world.

The Akitu festival opened the new year with processions along Babylon's Sacred Way, and the sacred marriage rite symbolically united Inanna and Dumuzi to ensure fertility. Lamentations, hymns, and divination by animal livers marked daily religious life.

At a glance

Ereškigal, whose Sumerian name means “Lady of the Great Earth,” rules the realm of the dead in several Mesopotamian traditions. Her authority appears in the Descent of Inana, the Akkadian Descent of Ištar, and the poem about Ur-Namma's death. The narrative of Nergal and Ereškigal explains, in different versions, how another god came to share that realm. The texts show a ruler who receives messengers, controls gates, and enforces rules of entry and departure; they do not form a single biography. Her literary presence is better documented than a continuous public cult devoted solely to her.

9 min read · Reviewed on October 14, 2026 · How we research

Sacred symbols

The shadowed throne, the serpent, the gate of the underworld and the lion

Family

Siblings

Inana/Ištar

Ereshkigal

Unions

GugalanaNergal

Children

Ninazu

Genealogy according to ETCSL, Inana's descent 85–89; ETCSL, The death of Ur-Namma 97–101; Heffron, Ereškigal (Oracc); Almeida, Nergal and Ereškigal (2024)

Sources and further reading

Primary sources

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Inana's descent to the nether world (c.1.4.1). read
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, The death of Ur-Namma (c.2.4.1.1). read
SOAS University of London, Ištar's Descent to the Netherworld, lines 1–125. translation: B. R. Foster, Before the Muses (2005), with minor changes on the SOAS page. read

Studies

Yağmur Heffron, Ereškigal (goddess). Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, Oracc, 2019. open
Isabel Gomes de Almeida, Nergal and Ereškigal. Database of Religious History / Zenodo, 2024. open
British Museum, Queen of the Night relief, object 2003,0718.1. open

Name and epithets

The Sumerian spelling ᵈereš-ki-gal brings together ereš, “lady,” ki, “earth” or “place,” and gal, “great.” The name is commonly rendered “Lady of the Great Earth,” a title connected with the realm below.

In the ancient sources

Inana's descent to the nether world, Sumerian composition; precise date uncertain. Presents Ereškigal as Inana's sister and mistress of the gates. Ištar's Descent to the Netherworld, dating of the Akkadian witness.

The myths

Inana's arrival and the seven gates. In the Sumerian composition, Inana leaves her places of worship and gathers her insignia before descending. She tells her minister Ninšubur to seek help if she does not return.

Worship and archaeology

Yağmur Heffron's scholarly Oracc entry notes a difference between literary prominence and documented worship. Ereškigal occurs in important narratives, but rarely in evidence for independent devotion.

How the god was depicted

No image of Ereškigal has been identified with certainty. The terracotta relief known as the Queen of the Night, now in the British Museum, has been linked to her, to Ištar, and to other figures.

What scholars debate

Two descents, two distributions of roles. The Sumerian Descent of Inana and the Akkadian Descent of Ištar share gates and Ereškigal's power, but do not assign every action in the same way.

After antiquity

The modern image of Ereškigal as a solitary, inflexible ruler surrounded by fixed symbols should be tested against the sources.

Did you know?

The Descent of Inana ends with praise of Ereškigal, although most of the journey is told from the visitor's perspective. The death of Ur-Namma names her as Ninazu's mother and attributes orders in the netherworld to her.

Codex relic

Throne of Lapis Lazuli. A dark throne from which she rules the land of no return and decrees the fate of the dead.

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