Ereshkigal

How to recognise Ereshkigal

1. Horned crownOn the Burney Relief, which may show her, a tall crown of four stacked pairs of horns topped by a disc marks a divine being.
2. Downward wingsThe long wings hang down rather than rising, which the British Museum reads as marking a goddess of the Underworld.
3. Rod and ringOne in each raised hand, the rod and ring are the Mesopotamian sign of divine authority.
4. Two owlsAn owl stands on each side of her, and the bird legs and talons on the relief echo theirs.
5. Scale patternThe scaled ground beneath her is the usual way of showing mountains.
6. Necklace and braceletsRich jewellery, a necklace and a bracelet on each wrist, shows royal dignity.
7. Night groundThe relief's background was originally painted black, which suggests night and the dark realm below.

Names and titles

• Queen of the Great BelowA reading of her name Ereshkigal, queen of the land of the dead
• Lady of the Great PlaceAnother reading of her name, 'great' meaning vast
• Keeper of the Seven GatesIn Inanna's Descent she orders the seven gates of the underworld bolted, then opened one by one
• Sister of InannaShe is Inanna's older sister in the poem of Inanna's Descent
• Moved by Two Small MournersTwo small beings sent by Enki echo her cries, and she is moved to answer their request