Ereškigal & Nergal, Rulers of the Dead

The netherworld had its own sovereigns. Ereshkigal, the formidable queen of the dead, ruled the dark land below — it is she who strikes down her sister Inana/Ishtar when the goddess dares to descend. Nergal, a fierce god of war, plague, and sudden death, becomes her husband and co-ruler in the myth of 'Nergal and Ereshkigal,' which tells how he came down, defied her, and ended by sharing her throne. Together they govern the realm from which there is no return, embodying the powers — death, disease, and war — that send mortals down to them.