The logo of the Melammu Project

The Melammu Project

The Heritage of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East

  The Melammu Project
  
   General description
   Search string
   Browse by topic
   Search keyword
   Submit entry
  
   About
   Open search
   Thematic search
   Digital Library
   Submit item
  
   Ancient texts
   Dictionaries
   Projects
   Varia
   Submit link
  FAQ
  Contact us
  About

  The Newsletter
  To Project Information >

  

Nergal “the butcher” (1)

 Printable view
Topics (move over topic to see place in topic list)

12 Assyrian Identity
02 Religious and ideological symbols and iconographic motifs
01 Religious and ideological doctrines and imagery




 		Keywords
Nergal
Period
No period specified 		Channel
Aramaic culture

Text
An epithet of the god Nergal in Hatra inscriptions is the Iranian loan word dḥšyˀ, dḥšpṭˀ. It is used exclusively of Nergal and is related to his role of punishing divinity, in the meaning of “executioner, butcher, torturer”. This interpretation of the word as Iranian term fits excellently the role of Nergal as known to us from Mesopotamian sources. He was primarily keeper of the underworld and the god of pestilence. As the god of the underworld, he functioned as a judge. His lion-headed mace was able to punish and wreak vengeange. Despite the popular nature of the association of Nergal with Heracles and the very frequent portrayal of Heracles at Hatra in Greek guise, a continued awareness of the Mesopotamian nature of Nergal remains in the title Nergol dḥšpṭˀ “Nergol the executioner”.

Bibliography

Greenfield 1988Greenfield, J. C. “Nergol dḥšpṭˀ.” In: Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin, W. Sundermann and F. Vahman (eds.). A Green Leaf. Papers in honour of Professor Jes P. Asmussen. Acta Iranica 28. Hommages et Opera Minora 12. Leiden: Brill 1988, 135-143.

Andrea Piras


URL for this entry: http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/database/gen_html/a0000611.php

Illustrations
No pictures

^
T
O
P