ERESHKIGAL

This article appears in Volume V09, Page 736 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: EMS-EUD

ERESHKIGAL , also known as ALLATU, the name of the

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

Babylonian goddess of the nether-world where the dead are gathered. Her name signifies " lady of the nether-world." She is known to us chiefly through two myths, both symbolizing the

change

CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. 冠 urmu', to bend)

of seasons, but intended also to illustrate certain doctrines developed in the temple-schools of Babylonia. One of these myths is the famous story of

Ishtar

ISHTAR

's descent to Irkalla or Aralu, as the

lower

LOWER

world was called, and her reception by her

sister

SISTER

who presides over it; the other is the story of Nergal's offence against Ereshkigal, his banishment to the kingdom controlled by the goddess and the reconciliation between Nergaland Ereshkigal through the latter's offer to have Nergal share the honours of the

rule

RULE

over Irkalla. The story of

Ishtar

ISHTAR

's descent is told to illustrate the possibility of an escape from Irkalla, while the other myth is intended to reconcile the existence of two rulers of Irkallaa goddess and a god.
It is evident that it was originally a goddess who was supposed to be in

control

CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in
English
- ENGLISH
of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

of Irkalla, corresponding to Ishtar in

control

CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in
English
- ENGLISH
of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

of fertility and vegetation on earth. Ereshkigal is therefore the

sister

SISTER

of Ishtar and from one point of view her counterpart, the symbol of nature during the non-productive season of the year. As the

doctrine

DOCTRINE

of two kingdoms, one of this world and one of the world of the dead, becomes crystallized, the dominions of the two sisters are sharply differentiated from one another. The addition of Nergal represents the harmonizing tendency to unite with Ereshkigal as the queen of the nether-world the god who, in his

character

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

as god of war and of pestilence, conveys the living to Irkalla and thus becomes the one who presides over the dead. (M. Ja.)

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