In Mesopotamian mythology, Ereshkigal (𒀭𒊩𒆠𒃲 DEREŠ.KI.GAL, lit. "Queen of the Great Earth") was the goddess of Irkalla, the land of the dead or underworld. Sometimes her name is given as Irkalla, similar to the way the name Hades was used in Greek mythology for both the underworld and its ruler, and sometimes it is given as Ninkigal, lit. "Great Lady of the Earth" or "Lady of the Great Earth".
Ereshkigal was the only one who could pass judgment and give laws in her kingdom. The main temple dedicated to her was located in Kutha.
The goddess Ishtar refers to Ereshkigal as her older sister in the Sumerian hymn "The Descent of Inanna" (which was also in later Babylonian myth, also called "The Descent of Ishtar"). Inanna/Ishtar's trip and return to the underworld is the most familiar of the myths concerning Ereshkigal.
Ereshkigal is the sister and counterpart of Inanna/Ishtar, the symbol of nature during the non-productive season of the year. Ereshkigal was also a queen that many gods and goddesses looked up to in the underworld. She is known chiefly through two myths, believed to symbolize the changing of the seasons, but perhaps also intended to illustrate certain doctrines which date back to the Mesopotamia period. According to the doctrine of two kingdoms, the dominions of the two sisters are sharply differentiated, as one is of this world and one of the world of the dead.
In Marvel Comics, Ereshkigal is the name of two characters.
Ereshkigel, a Babylonian goddess, first appeared in Thor Annual #10, in 1981. She was part of a group of Death gods trying to increase their power, but she was absorbed along with the others by Demogorge, the God-Eater. Ereshkigal and the other gods were freed by Thor, and have not made any similar attempts. She was portrayed as a pale-skinned woman with batlike wings. She is the fictional counterpart to the Mesopotamian goddess Ereshkigal.
The second Ereshkigal is a member of the Marvel Universe's Deviant race, first appearing in Thor #284 (June 1979), and was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. The character subsequently appears in Quasar #30 (January 1992), and #35-50 (June 1992-September 1993).
Ereshkigal received an entry in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #4 (2006).
She is a shapeshifter, able to take human form, or a winged form that resembles Marvel's version of the goddess whose name she assumed. She claims to be millennia old and like many Deviants has greater strength, stamina and durability than a human. She seems to have impersonated the goddess Ereshkigel throughout history. Her sister Dragona is a member of the Delta Network of Warlord Kro.
This a list of demon lords in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the 2nd Edition, the demon lords were known as "Abyssal lords".
Abraxas, known as the Unfathomable, is the demon lord of magic words, arcane secrets, and talismans, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Abraxas dwells on the 17th layer of the Abyss, known as Death's Reward.
Abraxas was one of many demon lords that was mentioned only by name in a list in the original Monster Manual II (1983). Abraxas received further details in third edition in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006). Abraxas received further description in the fourth edition book Demonomicon (2010).
In Armies of the Abyss (2002) by Erik Mona, Abraxas is known as the Supreme Unknown and described as resembling a bare-chested man with the head of a rooster and a lower body made of writhing snakes. His areas of concern are listed as magic, occult lore, and dangerous secrets. In this book, Abraxas is the head of a twisted cult based loosely on historical Gnosticism, teaching that the gods are evil tyrants who have imprisoned souls in mortal bodies, while the true world of pure spirit, the Pleroma, lies beyond. In the world of Armies of the Abyss this is portrayed as a devious lie on the part of Abraxas, whose Abyssal layer is actually a trap for his deluded followers. Souls that come to Abraxas's realm experience ten years of bliss before being annihilated and devoured by the Abyss, fueling Abraxas's power. While Abraxas's cult is deliberately offensive to the gods, they experience little prosecution as they are for the most part blameless ascetics who make their living selling protective charms.