| “ | Divine Nergal, Lord who by night stole out, had come to the battle! He who is welcome, his might is immense; Like a dream at the doorstep he appeared. | „ |
| ~ About Nergal. |
Nergal, or Erra, was a deity worshipped in ancient Mesopotamia. He was seen as a god of the Underworld, war, pestilence and the hunt who was also a solar deity (though only representing a certain solar phase) identified with Shamash. He was married to Ereshkigal, the goddess of the Underworld.
Overview[]
He was the most aggressive and violent among the Mesopotamian deities, and over time became more demonic than divine, being one of the few deities that works knowingly for Satan's cause.
History[]
Attack on Babylon[]
One day, Nergal is feeling dull and bored. To wake himself up, he decided to attack Babylon. However, Babylon is under the protection of Marduk, the most powerful of the gods. Nergal travels to Babylon on the ruse of a friendly visit. Pretending to show shock at the appearance of Marduk's clothing, he convinces the god to get a change of clothing and leave the city. Once Marduk has left Babylon, Nergal attacks the city. People are slain in the streets. Soon Nergal is satisfied and stops the attack and makes a prophecy about a great leader to protect the people.
Conflict with Ereshkigal[]
The gods have created a banquet for which all deities are invited. However, Ereshkigal is unable to leave the underworld. Instead, she sends her son Namtar to take a share of the feast. When Namtar arrives, the other deities rise out of respect except for Nergal. Insulted, Namtar goes home and tells his mother. Enki and other gods tell Nergal to enter the underworld and takes with him fourteen demons.
When he arrives, the gatekeeper Neti gets orders from Ereshkigal to allow him through the seven gates, stripping him of everything until the throne room, where he would be killed. But at each gate, Nergal posts two demons. When he gets to the throne he knocks over Namtar and drags Ereshkigal to the floor. He is about to kill her with his ax when she pleads for her life, promising her as his wife and to share her power with him. He consents. However, Nergal must still leave the underworld for six months, so Ereshkigal gives him back his demons and allows him to traverse the upper world for that time, after which he returns to her.
Over the centuries he started working with the demons of Hell, becoming the head of a secret police unit that reported directly to one of the kings of Hell Beelzebub, and he would eventually become the archenemy of John Constantine. In fact, Nergal is the reason why John Constantine became the way he is now as Nergal is responsible for the taking of an innocent girl by the name of Astra to the depths of Hell.