Nergal

The name Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali (Hebrew: נֵרְגַל, Modern Nergal Tiberian Nērḡál; Aramaic ܢܹܪܓܵܐܠ; Latin: Nergel) refers to a deity in Babylon with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth (Cuthah): "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal" (2 Kings, 17:30). He is the son of Enlil and Ninlil.

Nergal in demonology

Being a deity of the desert, god of fire, which is one of negative aspects of the sun, god of the underworld, and also being a god of one of the religions which rivalled Christianity and Judaism, Nergal was sometimes called a demon and even being identified with Satan. According to Collin de Plancy and Johann Weyer, Nergal was said to be the chief of Hell's "secret police", and said to be "an honorary spy in the service of Beelzebub".

Attributes

Nergal actually seems to be in part a solar deity, sometimes identified with Shamash, but only a representative of a certain phase of the sun. Portrayed in hymns and myths as a god of war and pestilence, Nergal seems to represent the sun of noontime and of the summer solstice that brings destruction, high summer being the dead season in the Mesopotamian annual cycle.

Nergal was also the deity who presides over the netherworld, and who stands at the head of the special pantheon assigned to the government of the dead (supposed to be gathered in a large subterranean cave known as Aralu or Irkalla). In this capacity he has associated with him a goddess Allatu or Ereshkigal, though at one time Allatu may have functioned as the sole mistress of Aralu, ruling in her own person. In some texts the god Ninazu is the son of Nergal and Allatu/Ereshkigal.

Ordinarily Nergal pairs with his consort Laz. Standard iconography pictured Nergal as a lion, and boundary-stone monuments symbolise him with a mace surmounted by the head of a lion.

Nergal's fiery aspect appears in names or epithets such as Lugalgira, Sharrapu ("the burner," a reference to his manner of dealing with outdated teachings), Erra, Gibil (though this name more properly belongs to Nusku), and Sibitti. A certain confusion exists in cuneiform literature between Ninurta and Nergal. Nergal has epithets such as the "raging king," the "furious one," and the like. A play upon his name—separated into three elements as Ne-uru-gal (lord of the great dwelling) -- expresses his position at the head of the nether-world pantheon.

In the late Babylonian astral-theological system Nergal is related to the planet Mars. As a fiery god of destruction and war, Nergal doubtless seemed an appropriate choice for the red planet, and he was equated by the Greeks either to the combative demigod Heracles (Latin Hercules) or to the war-god Ares (Latin Mars) -- hence the current name of the planet. In Babylonian ecclesiastical art the great lion-headed colossi serving as guardians to the temples and palaces seem to symbolise Nergal, just as the bull-headed colossi probably typify Ninurta.

In popular culture

In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Nergal is the name of an outcast devil. Additionally, the demigod Jergal of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting derives his name from Nergal.

In the Outlanders SF series by Mark Ellis, Nergal is one of the ruthless reincarnated Annunaki Overlords.

In the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Nergal is a demon and recurring villain, but later marries Billy's aunt Sis and has a child named Nergal Jr.

In the movie Hellboy, the demon Sammael is called the Son of Nergal. In the comic version of same, one of the heads of the villain Ogdru Jahad is referred to as Nergal Jahad.

In the Vampire: The Eternal Struggle Collectible Card Game Nergal is the Prince of Hell.

In Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series Nergal is a pure blood demon with two half-demon daughters.

In the Italian fumetti comic "Dampyr", Nergal is a powerful arch-vampire and Duke of hell.

In the anime Martian Successor Nadesico Nergal is the company that sponsors the building of the ship Nadesico.

In the DC Comics universe, Nergal (also spelled Negal) was originally a Golden Age villain opposing Doctor Fate. He was also shown as a primary antagonist to the Vertigo character John Constantine. He is the primary villain in the Doctor Fate story in Countdown to Mystery mini-series. His name appeared as Nergal in the Hellblazer comics and in the reprint of More Fun Comics #67 in Weird Secret Origins, though in Countdown to Mystery and The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives, he is referred to as "Negal," even in the latter's reprint of More Fun #67.

An apparently unrelated version of Nergal appears in Green Lantern Annual #9 (2000) as a Controller and the arch-enemy of Ninurta, reinvented as a Babylonian Green Lantern.

In the seventh Fire Emblem video game, Nergal is the name of the main villain. He uses a tome of dark magic called Ereshkigal as well. He is the only character with the Dark Druid class in the series.

In the RPG Video Game 'Sailor Moon - Another Story', Nergal is the name given to the Oppositio Senshi (a Villain) for Sailor Mars.

In the RPG Vampire: The Masquerade, Nergal is a Baali Methuselah.

In the Shaman King TCG, the character Duncan's spirit ally is called Nergal.

Nergal is also the name of a battleship in David Weber's Mutineer's Moon books.

An evil God called Nergal appears in the Conan story The Hand of Nergal.

There is a character named Nirgal in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy. He is named for the Babylonian name for Mars.

In the game Wild Arms for the Sony PlayStation, the female lead Cecilia's first boss battle is with a monster by the name Nelgaul. As it is a Japanese game, the name has been romanized from "Nerugaru", the equivalent of Nergal in katakana. He happens to be a demon in this incarnation.

In the MMORPG Lunia, Nergal is the boss of the tenth floors of the Cave of Chaos raid.

A customizable parody video circulated by MoveOn.org has Glenn Beck claiming that the viewer of the video is in league with Nergal, using a convoluted transliteration and translation process from English to Greek to Aramaic and back to English with the letters N G and L added.
Tags:Nergal ,Nabu ,Ninurta ,Ishtar ,Marduk ,Shamash ,Sin (mythology)