7/22/2019 Erekigal (goddess)
1/2
Erekigal (goddess)
Erekigal, whose name translates as "Lady ofthe Great Earth",
rules the underworld.
Functions
Unlike her consort Nergal, Erekigal has a distinctly dual
association with death. This isreminiscent of the contradictive
nature of her sisterItar, who simultaneously representsopposing
aspects such as male and female; love and war. In Erekigal's case,
she is thegoddess of death but also associated with birth; regarded
both as mother(-earth) and a virgin(Van der Toorn et al. 1999:
455).
Divine Genealogy and Syncretisms
Erekigal is the sister ofItarand mother of the goddess Nungal.
Namtar, Erekigal's minister, isalso her son by Enlil; and Ninazu,
her son by Gugal-ana (Black and Green 1998: 77). The latteris the
first husband of Erekigal (Black and Green 1998: 77), who in later
tradition has Nergal as
consort. Blet-ri appears as the official scribe for Erekigal in
the Epic of Gilgame (Ata2004: 69).
Cult Place(s)
With few exceptions, as Wiggermann (1998-2001d: 220) asserts,
Erekigal had no cult inMesopotamia and as a result, rarely
encountered outside literature. Inscriptions, however, attestto
temples of Erekigal in Kutha,Assurand Umma (George 1993: 85 no.288,
164 no.1311,no.1312).
Time Periods Attested
In the Sumerian poemThe Death of Ur-Namma (ETCSL 2.4.1.1),
Erekigal is among thosereceiving gifts from Ur-Namma, newly arrived
in the netherworld (Kramer 1967: 111). Her co-regency of the
netherworld together with Nergal begins in the Old Babylonian
period (Dalley2000: 164). In the first millennium, her temple in
Kutha is rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar (George1993: 85 no. 288).
Iconography
The iconography of Erekigal remains unknown except for a
possible representation on the so-called Burney Relief, a large
terra-cotta plaque (now displayed at the British Museum),
theauthenticity of which has long been the subject of dispute (see
Collon 2005). The relief shows awinged nude female with talons for
feet. Standing on two recumbent lions and flanked by owls,she
sports the horned headdress of divinity and carries a rod and ring
in each raised hand. Theavian features may be linked to the
netherworld whose residents re described as dressed in birdfeathers
(Dalley 2000: 155). Collon 2005 identifies the Burney figure as
Lilitu (the Mesopotamianforerunner of the Biblical Lilith and who
belongs to Erekigal's circle) and suggests that the wingspoint
downward to the chthonic realm. Provenienced comparanda for the
winged nude on theBurney Relief are found in two Old Babylonian
terra-cotta reliefs from Ur and Nippur: both show afrontal nude
with talon-feet, raised hands, a horned headdress and whatAlbenda
2005: 182
describes as a "pleated cape" pulled back over the shoulders.
The similarity between the capeand the wings on the Burney Relief
are suggestive. As for the animals on the relief, owls areunknown
in Mesopotamian iconography (Albenda 2005); nor do texts offer
clues for a possiblelink with Erekigal or the netherworld. Lions,
on the other hand, are well-known iconographicallyas attribute
animals ofItar, Erekigal's sister.
http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#albenda_2005http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#dalley_2000http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#collon_2005http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#dalley_2000http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#dalley_2000http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#dalley_2000http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#kramer_1967http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#wiggermann_1998dhttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#atac_2004http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#vandertoornetal_1999http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#vandertoornetal_1999http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#albenda_2005http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#albenda_2005http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#collon_2005http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#dalley_2000http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#collon_2005http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#dalley_2000http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#kramer_1967http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.1.1#http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#george_1993http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/images/Umma.jpghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/images/Assur.jpghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/images/Kutha.jpghttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#wiggermann_1998dhttp://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#atac_2004http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/nergal/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#black-green_1998http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#black-green_1998http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/ninazu/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/enlil/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/bibliography/#vandertoornetal_1999http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/nergal/
