Ereshkigal, Some newbie questions. Options

Greetings all.

I'm new here (obviously), and am looking for some information regarding some things to do with the Necronomicon, and this is the only place I could find where people actually use it. Hope you don't mind.

A little background.
As far back as I can remember, I have been drawn to paths other than what the standard organized religions offer. I did much searching, tried some of the various ceremonial magicks, but never really caught on to it. More recently, I met a woman who is a priestess of Kali and has been doing a lot of work with me. It seems I am much more suited to being a priestess than a magickian.

This sort of path is much more rewarding tome than that of ceremonial magick, although she mixes the two somewhat. A few weeks ago, perusing one of my bookhaunts, I stumbled across the Necronomicon by Simon. I flipped through it a bit and it seemed well worth the meager price, so I bought it (it's the paperback version).

While reading through it I came across the Ancient One Ereshkigal. Something hit me, grabbed me like a giant hand. It seems I have a powerful attraction to this Goddess (and/or she does to me). I asked the Kali priestess about Her, and she told me that Ereshkigal is much like Kali, but didn't know enough to get in depth on it. I've searched the web for information, but there seems to be very little out there about Ereshkigal.

Do any of you have more information on this Goddess?
Does She have a sigil?
Are blood sacrifices acceptable? (We would offer some of our blood on Kali's altar at the beginning of rituals, and was told that blood of the priest/priestess was favored by Her far above that of animals. Would the same be true of Ereshkigal?)

I'm a complete neophyte to the Necronomicon system. I get soem mixed feeling about Ereshkigal from it. It seems that She would be one of the ones that would be invoked by using the Urilla text, yet no sigil or anything is given for Her. On the other hand Nergal, Her consort, is not in the Urilla text, but is given in other parts of the book. Does that mean Ereshkigal should be reached through Him? In other words does seeking Ereshkigal bring the curse of the Urilla text down on a person, while searching out Nergal does not?

Also I read posts by someone (smasher666 I believe) that mentions that using the Necronomicon in a priestly manner is different than from the point of view of a magickian. Are there any others who use the Necronomicon from a priestly direction? Can you give a bit more detail what the differences are for a priest/priestess versus a magickian?

Well, that's enough for now. Hope the questions aren't too stupid.

Hi Dark Goddess.



Well To tell you the truth, the question about Kali being Ereshkigal or not came to me this afternoon itself. Its cause there has been some situation where the statue of Kali was involved. Normally people go to temples and in the temples hindus pray to shiva and also Kali. Kali is in the same temple as that of Shiva and vishnu etc. So i am not sure if Kali would be Ereshkigal as the latter is the complete contrary to being good if i am not mistaken. But i am quite new to the Nec and i dont know much of the nec writings apart from the elder Gods. Kali likes blood sacrifices thats very true. I dont know for Ereshkigal.



It might be that the hindu myths have had some misinterpretation over the years and the place of kali not clearly defined if infact she is Ereshkigal.



Well the Kali we pray in temples, we pray to the one we have believed in that is a goddess who takes the dark form to be able to destroy evil. We send energy and devotion to this facet of kali. I go very rarely to temples, may be once a year, so i wont say i regularly pray to kali but if i ever do it, its for this facet that i know.



But on a personal aspect, i dont really think Kali is Ereshkigal because of the fact that she killed demons if the hindu myths are right. But its not in my knowledge to state a precise version.



Well Hope you get more answers from the experienced ones,



Mystick

Thank you for the response, but I'm afraid I may not have been clear.

There's no doubt that Ereshkigal is NOT Kali. They are most certainly different. But rather they are alike (or so I was told) in that they embody the dark aspects, although they seem to manifest/use those aspects differently.

Like I said earlier, I haven't been able to find much about Ereshkigal, but Her role as mistress of the underworld, seems to indicate that She is integral to the death process. That is not bad in of itself, as death is a natural process, and without it, there can be no progression beyond this life. However, the little there is about Her paints her in a much more fearsome light than merely a run-of-the-mill death god/goddess. But then again, all of the divine in the Necronomicon are painted as such, and I'm not sure if Ereshkigal should be thought of as something evil, rather than just someone not to be trifled with (as all of the entities in the Necronomicon are painted, contrary to many other religions where the gods are warm and fuzzy).

Hello Darkgodess:
My understanding is that Ereshkigal is the goddess of the underworld (where the souls of the dead go). She is one of the 'Elder gods' and wife of Nergal, god of war, and sister of INNANA (also called Ishtar) godess of love and war. The two sisters dont get along too well, as there is a story in which Innana descends to the underworld, and is killed by Ereshkigal, later to be resurrected by ENKI the god of magicians, by using the food of life and the water of life. The rites of opening the door to the underworld is a recitation of Innana's journey and is used to call the spirits of the dead (and possibly Ershkigal herself).

Another story you might look up is the story of Tamuz (or Dumuzi), Innana's human lover, who died. I think Innana plead with her sister to let him live and she agreed that he could come out of the underworld 6 months out of the year, spending the rest in the undeworld. Tamuz became a god of fertility and agriculture representing 6 month of growth and harvest.

Another story is how Nergal became her husband. She sent a visier to the council of the Elder gods (she is always invited to join in, but cant leave the underworld, so she sends a messenger). All the gods bowed to her messanger, except Nergal. She hear about it, got upset and demanded the gods for his head on account of his insult. Instead he himself went to the underworld, wrestled with her 'ravished' her for 7 days and left her so infatuated with him that she ended up marying him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I can't remember all the details but you can find them in Noah Kramer's books about his translations of 5000 year old tablets of stories and incantations.

If I understand it correctly the whole cosmology is the result of a rebellion of the 'Elder Gods' against the 'Ancient Ones'. Basically Anu and his decendents (Enlil, Enki, Nannar, Innana, Nebo, Nergal, Marduk, Nibib, etc) rebelled against Anu's great grand parents Tiamat and Apsu. A great war ensued with horrible monsters created by both sides and ending with Tiamat being killed and being cut in two. It is said that her followers are locked behind a gate and forever trying to get back in into our universe and destruction will ensue when they do, and that Tiamat is not really dead but 'dreaming'.

So to me it is kind of complicated to say who is 'good' given that some of the monster created in that war (the seven evil spirits for example) were created by the elder gods and are still around. So in my way of thinking, the fact that Ereshkigal got the position of keeper of the dead and her minions (Nighizida, Namtar) are keepers of the gate to the underworld, called Ganzir (a different gate than the one barring the Ancient ones, or Arzir) does not mean she is one of the Ancient Ones. I dont think worshipping the goddess of the dead is the same as worshiping the Ancient ones, and would not bring any curses upon you. But then that is just my opinion, and unfortunately I have not walked the gates yet, as I am just getting started, I can only relay what I've read, not what I've experienced.

Traveller.

This post has been edited by Traveller: Oct 15 2006, 02:04 PM

Thank you very much.

I haven't read the Tamuz story but had read the others.

Do I need a sigil or something to evoke Ereshkigal (such as the 50 names each have a sigil)?

Have any of you others felt especially pulled toward one god or another, or did you just pick one and go with it?

Traveller, you hit the nail right on the head brother. Ereshkigal is not of the Ancient Ones. One thing to keep in mind though is that the veil between the Underworld and the Outside is a thin one. DarkGoddess, if you choose to walk the path of the Underworld just remember who it is you serve and do not cross over. As per getting in contact with her, you would want to go into her gate as "Thou mayest not call upon NANNA till thou hast passed the Gate of NANNA. Thou mayest not call NEBO until his Gate hast thou passed. Similarly for the rest of the Gates. When thou hast ascended to the limit of the Ladder of Lights, thou wilt have knowledge and power over the Spheres, and wilt be able to summon them thereby in times of need." That being said, I do not know the ramifications of walking the gate of Ganzir without having previously walked the others before it. I would imagine it would be likened to spiritual suicide, though on the other hand if you are acting as her Priestess there may be no danger at all. I would like to discuss this with you indepth in perhaps another venue such as messenger or over the phone as I am very interested but do not want to give out the formulae for getting in contact with her before speaking to you in private.

Ashnook

In other words does seeking Ereshkigal bring the curse of the Urilla text down on a person, while searching out Nergal does not?

That's the impression I have always had. I have never tried to invoke any entity from the Urilia text and would not advise anyone else to do so either, especially if one is not experienced in the Necronomicon.

Good luck.

This post has been edited by Penny_Lane: Oct 19 2006, 05:49 AM

Greetings,

Ereshikal and Nergal are border line dietys. They are in that shady area which connects the darkness with the light. I have met both Nergal and Ereshkigal in astral travel. Ereshkigal has been surprisingly kind to me. I respect her as the Queen of hell but I do not worship her or sacrifice to her. My Goddess is Inanna. Thier is a rivalry and bad tension between Inanna and Ereshkigal her sister. So to do so for me would break the covenant.

Lilith is much more Kali like than Ereshkigal. SOme of the legends say that Lilith or Lilit was the handmaiden of Inanna. Others say that she was an owl who haunted a tree in Inanna's garden.

I like Lilith. She rocks. She is the mother of the vampires. Try sacrificing and calling her. It will be a cool experiance.

What is hell? Is hell evil? Are the lords of hell evil or are they just performing a necessary job? Hell is definitly within the realms of Order or creation as it exsist. The ancient ones are lords of unformed non existant worlds which our minds can not fully comprehend. Certainly there is some sort of connection between hell and the outside. However hell is still on the inside.

Zi DIngir Inanna Kanpa!

Hello Darkgoddess and all:

Found an interesting site, worshippers of Lilith! (it seems that smaher666 is infatuated with her (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) at
Temple of Zagduku

It mentions that the sacred day of Ereshkigal is December 21, and that caves and dark moon midnights are good places/times to worship her.

It also mentions another story about Ereshkigal, that after Nergal and her had been together, Nergal left. She was so sad about it she started to cry, making all other gods nervous. She threatened to let loose all the dead upon the earth if Nergal didnt come back.

The gods went ot Nergal and pleaded with him. He crashed the gates of Hell and came to wipe Ereshkigal's tears and agreed to marry her.

Wheew, we came close to having the 'Night of the living Dead' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Anyway I thought it was interesting.

The gods went ot Nergal and pleaded with him. He crashed the gates of Hell and came to wipe Ereshkigal's tears and agreed to marry her.

He did more than just wipe away her tears (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dribble.gif) .

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/evilB.gif)

That's the impression I have always had. I have never tried to invoke any entity from the Urilia text and would not advise anyone else to do so either, especially if one is not experienced in the Necronomicon.

Good luck.

Doing more research, in th Nec, in several sources of mythology and some working of my own recently, I've formulated the conclusion that Ereshkigal is not one of the Ancient Ones. Although mentioned in the Urilla text, she's also mentioned throughout the rest of the Nec. In Sumerian mythology she is spoken of as contemporary with the rest of the Gods.

Lilith is much more Kali like than Ereshkigal. SOme of the legends say that Lilith or Lilit was the handmaiden of Inanna. Others say that she was an owl who haunted a tree in Inanna's garden.

Kali is very interesting in that she has both a soft, giving side that tends to be mischievious, and a dark, fearsome side, that even the other Gods seem to fear (the aspect that is like Ereshkigal), she is very complex and interesting. Lilit sounds interesting, and someone I shall have to look more into, although I suspect she's more interesting to you men! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/harhar1.gif)

What is hell? Is hell evil? Are the lords of hell evil or are they just performing a necessary job? Hell is definitly within the realms of Order or creation as it exsist. The ancient ones are lords of unformed non existant worlds which our minds can not fully comprehend. Certainly there is some sort of connection between hell and the outside. However hell is still on the inside.

Here's the view from here:
The Underworld (I prefer NOT to call it Hell, as the implication there is that everyone there suffers), is where two sets of people go:
1.) The damned. Those rejected (for whatever reasons) by the other Gods. They could be betrayers, those who never gave their allegience to any God/Goddess. The Underworld serves as a balance on the scales of the Gods. There is reward for loyal followers in the domains of their Deities, and so there must be an equal penalty for the others.
2.) Thise who serve the Deities of the Underworld. Just as the loyal followers of other Deities go on to whatever realm their particular God rules over, those who serve the dark Gods, serve them in the Underworld.

I agree that the Underworld is not the realm of the Ancient Ones. Their lair seems to be a place where even the gods don't wish to tread.

I also think as a priestess, it is much safer for me in dealing with Ereshkigal than someone merely trying to evoke or invoke them to serve their own purposes. The deities of the Nec seem to be not well suited to suffering fools, and I'd wager that that is even more true with those such as Ereshkigal and Nergal. No, the path of serving the GOds is much safer than the path of trying to command them, I think.

Greetings,

Another version of the Nergal Ereshkigal myth is that he came back to the underworld very angry. He drug her off the throne by her hair and made love to her for 7 days and 7 nights. For some reason I like this version better than the one in which he dried her tears.

As to Lilit I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who practices vampirism and does not appreciate this demi Goddess.

Peace!

I'm wondering if you guys have two halves of the story?

The one I read was rather long, but had Nergal making three trips to the underowrld. The first one he heeded the other gods' advice to not accept anything offered to him in the underworld -- including Ereshkigal's love. He returned and saw her stripping for her bath, and succumbed to her advances, they made love, and as men will do, he left while she was still asleep. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/badmood.gif)
Of course this didn't sit well with her. At this time she got furious, and threatened to unleash the dead upon the world unless the gods sent Nergal back. He rather came back upon his own before the others could speak with him. But rather than come back in a submissive fashion, he came back storming in, grabbed her by the hair and they made love for 7 days, and were basically "married". Wonderful tale that is, strong male figure and strong female figure.

Greetings Dark Goddess,

I read this about 15 years ago and my memory is a bit foggy but the bath and dragging her off the throne by her hair I remember. Ereshkigal was at one time a sky Goddess. However she was a bit naughty like The Anunnaki and got kicked out of heaven. To behold her in the underworld is quite a sight. Like her sister Inanna she is the epitome of beauty.

Well this post is conceerning the scorpion Woman. I have found a Greek Myth that might explain her origins. There was a Goddess named Metis that was impregnated by who else--ZEUS. Well Zeus had heard a prophesy that his next kin would rise up and destroy him. So after hearing this--he swollowed Metis up. But in reality he really didn't swallow her up--she had escaped. So the child she was carrying turned out to be ATHENA. Upon Athena's aromor Metis sat as a bee. For many of years she was w/ Athena unbenounced to the Goddess. Eventually Metis left her daughter after Athena had cut the head off of Medusa and put it upon her Shield. So Metis went wandering and changed her form into a beautiful maiden to attract her former lover Zeus. Of course he was all in and he pursued her and eventually got her. A little in/out ,in/out and pow--she was pregenant again w/ the child of Zeus--but he had no idea that this was Metis though--he still thought she was in his belly. Well she then transformed herself into the ANZU bird and Zeus jumped away knowing the truth of this bird,being a sexually primal bird that can never be tamed. So Metis as the Anzu bird flew away. tothe realms of Hecate and Cybele she flew and gave birth to a son. She called upon Pegasus to come from heaven and hide and raise this child so Zeus would not know about him.
After this Having provided for the safety and upbringing of her son, she transformed herself into a scorpion and descended into the underworld, slipping through the cracks of the seven bolted gates. No living being knew of her identity, her whereabouts, or the fact of her having given birth to a son of Zeus. The King of the Gods still thought she resided in his stomach, providing him with her wisdom.

I thought this story might be of interest to all you fine folks out there.

Indeed it is. Should we ever have to confront her knowing her true name may be the only thing that could save your life.

Greetings GMC broom,

I would expect that normal Necronomicon exorcisms would prove effective against the Scorpion woman. I have summoned the Scorpion King many times and never did his spouse appear. I think she would only appear to those working a left hand path. When U are working with a dark mind Necronomicon becomes dangerous.

Peace.

I figured that, better than starting a new thread, I thought I would ask here.

Has anybody found any ties between Ereshkigal and Hecate?

Looking through the greek magical papyri, I found a hymn that names Hekate Ereshkigal as if it was one goddess, and I'm curious about this since I find Hecate fascinating.

Either they were believed to be the same goddess, similar in attributes, or the old magicians liked to treat the gods like "legos" mixing them to see what came of it, lol.

Any info would be appreciated, posted here or PMed.