TYPE: Chthonic underworld god.
ORIGIN: Mesopotamian (Akkadian-Babylonian) [Iraq]
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: Circa 3500 BCE to circa 200 BCE
SYNONYMS: Erakal, Lugal-Irra, Mes Lam Taea.
CENTER(S) OF CULT: Kuthu and Tarbisu
ART REFERENCES: Plaques, votive stelae and glyptics
LITERARY SOURCES: Cuneiform texts particularly Nergal and Ereskigal.
INFORMATION: The son of Enlil and Ninlil and the consort of the underworld goddess Ereskigal. He is depicted as a god of war and sudden death as well as being ruler of the underworld. He may be also seen as a plague god. His sanctuary is known as the Emeslam. He is usually depicted as a bearded figure emerging from the ground and carrying a double-edged mace-scimitar typically embellished with lion heads. By the Hellenic period he is identified with the god Herakles.