Gods and Power in Mesopotamia: Nergal A Study in Comparative Mythology

This article is about the Mesopotamian god Nergal and the myth Nergal and Ereshkigal. It is an exploration of mythology, because, in the author's view, this myth originates from recurrent themes in origin myths, like the creation and organization of the cosmos and divine society, and power and succession among gods. Cosmogonic myths and the typology of deities related to them exist all around the world, which makes comparison a viable methodology. Equally, considering the specific nature of this kind of myths, several issues of a theoretical nature, emcompassing mythology, religion and literature, need to be addressed. The goal of this article is to offer an original reading of the Nergal and Ereshkigal poem, by dealing with major issues in the historical study of religions and drawing on comparison with other myths from Mesopotamia, Ugarit and Greece.