Nergal

The Lord of War and Plague

Domain: War, Plague & Underworld
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Element: Fire
Relics of Power: Double-Headed Mace

Speak with Nergal

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.

The Sacred Scrolls

God of war, plague, and the scorching heat of midday, Nergal is one of the most feared deities of Mesopotamia. Associated with the blazing sun and disease, he brings sudden death to battlefields and cities. He also became king of the underworld alongside Ereshkigal. As The Lord of War and Plague, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the mesopotamicos pantheon. Their domains over War, Plague & Underworld reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The double mace, the lion, the sword and the midday sun

Divine Lineage

Son of Enlil; husband of Ereshkigal, with whom he co-rules the underworld.

The Legendary Myth

Nergal offended Ereshkigal by not rising before her messenger during a banquet of the gods. Summoned to the underworld to answer for the offense, instead of being destroyed, he overpowered the queen and took her as his w…

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the mesopotamicos recounts the journey when Nergal intervened directly in the lives of mortals.