The Pursuit of
Shugat-Nergal
A story about Ancient Sumer
by James W. Bell © 2002 - 2004
25
Denisha switched the donkey with the rib of a palm leaf. “Move!” she shouted at the animal and he started again. Foot by foot, he plodded ahead on the dirt towpath along the Iturungal Canal, pulling the reed boat. Denisha glanced back to check the craft. “My lady, wake up!” she screamed and halted the donkey. “You’re about to nose into the bank again!”
Nanay looked up and exclaimed, “By the Gods!” She frantically tried to backstroke with the paddle but it was too late. The pointed bow hit the bank and stuck in the soft mud.
“Damn!” Denisha said. “My lady, I kept warning you. This is the fifth time. At this rate, we’ll never reach Zabalam by the fifteenth.”
Nanay swatted at the flies buzzing around her head, then leaned forward to push off with the paddle. Afloat again, she settled back against the bales of textiles and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I’m doing my best, Denisha. I don’t see how that tow-master ever controlled this thing without someone to help.”
“For mortals, my lady, knowing how to earn a livelihood is a necessity. The gods leave us no choice, we have to learn. If we join the Karum or the temple, we get apprenticed. Elsewise, early in life, we find ourselves forced to learn the hard way through experience, as you’re having to do.”
“I’ve had more than enough for the moment, Denisha. I need to rest a bit. This sun … the heat and the flies.” She slapped at whirring insects. “Let’s moor beside the next grove, one where trees overhang the bank so I can rest in shade.”
“I see willows ahead, my lady. We’ll stop there,” Denisha said and flicked the donkey to start him moving again.
As they approached the grove, a big man stepped out from under drooping branches. He walked onto the towpath and took up a position in the middle of it, straddling it with his legs spread and his hands on his hips. Denisha saw he was swarthy and heavily bearded, like a mountain man with thick, bushy eyebrows. He stood in her path, bare-chested, dressed in the heavy leather kilt of the mountainlands and wearing thick leather boots.
Seeing no way around him, she halted the donkey. “Sir, you are blocking our way.”
The man smiled at her, though the corners of his mouth remained turned down. It seemed a cruel smile. “Am I?” he taunted.
Denisha stood her ground. “Sir, you know you are. I saw you come out from under the branches as we approached.”
“You’re a brave thing.” Then, under his shaggy eyebrows, the man’s eyes went from her to Nanay, who was still sitting in the boat. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “Two women.”
“What were you expecting?”
“Something more than two women.” He spat in disgust.
Nanay shouted at him from the boat. “Hey, I’m no woman! I’m a goddess!” She stuck a pole in the mud to moor the boat and scampered ashore. “Who in kur are you?”
The bearded man in the towpath grinned and swelled his bare chest. “I am Nergal, King of the Underworld.”
“Well, I am Nanay, the Goddess of Love.”
Nergal chuckled. “Some goddess you must be, traveling with a mortal for a companion. But, I do believe I’ve heard of you. You’re some sort of a minor deity, aren’t you? A handmaid in Inanna’s temple?”
“I’ll have you know I have my own shrine in the Eanna Temple.”
“Ah, but you are in Inanna’s service, are you not? In her pay? Tell me, was it she who slew my ushumgal?”
“You’re a fine one to talk, Nergal. You belong in the Underworld. What are you doing up here in the Great Above? Has it gotten too hot for you down below? Or did Ereshkigal finally get fed up with you and boot you out?”
Nergal’s face reddened. He clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. “Watch that mouth of yours, Nanay. Remember who I am.”
“A mighty king afraid to answer? Afraid to tell two women why you’re in the Great Above?”
“I came up to find out what happened to my ushumgal.”
“A big, scaly green dragon with teeth? Was he one of your pets?”
“He was a fire-breather, my chief denizen on the Iturungal.”
“Well,” Nanay said, “the beast attacked us. Now, he’s dead.”
“I don’t believe it!” Nergal stared her in the eye. “It’s not possible you two women did him in.”
“Oh, it wasn’t us,” the goddess said. “I summoned Ishkur. He rode down from the mountains on a cloud and did the job for us with bolts of lightning.”
Nergal narrowed his eyes at the love goddess. “By Nin, why? Why did you have that old god destroy my most ferocious ushumgal?”
“Because, my dear Nergal, like I told you, your monster made the mistake of attacking us.”
Denisha added, “The creature had already killed the man who was trying to defend us, a brave tow-master named Gigattalu.”
“Bah,” Nergal told Denisha, “mortals are worth hardly a shekel for a half dozen.” He turned back to Nanay. “What you’re telling me makes no sense. Ushumgals are water creatures. I can’t imagine one clambering ashore just to attack mortals.”
Nanay shrugged. “Believe us, Nergal, he did. We were getting into the boat –”
“Aha,” the Underworld god guessed, “you were in the water. Preparing to ferry across the Iturungal?”
“To get to Chaldea. We were following the trail of Shugat-Nergal. We knew he was headed towards Kutallu.”
“I’ve been told that’s where Inanna intends to strike. You’re in league with her, aren’t you? Scouting the Marshlands? Helping her plan the attack?”
“None of that. Shugat-Nergal is a criminal. We were pursuing him for the sole purpose of bringing him to justice.”
“So you claim. A likely story. For your information, they’ve caught Inanna’s spy. He’s confessed and spilled the barley … admitted everything.”
“What everything?”
Nergal leaned closer. “How he’d been trapped in the Arali by two ladies … and tricked into spying for Inanna. That was you two, wasn’t it? He told Queen Bau how he had been bound and how he bravely managed to escape so he could bring news of Inanna’s impending invasion to the marshers.”
“Eels!” Nanay exclaimed. “That was Shugat-Nergal. He’s the slipperiest of mortals, a born liar and a mangler of whatever truth happens to escape his lips.”
“He swore it was so. Queen Bau believed he was telling the truth.”
“Consider. The mortal is handsome and preys on women but he is little more than an ordinary pickpocket with a big mouth and sticky fingers. I, on the other hand, am a goddess. Tell me, Nergal, will you choose to take the word of a twisted mortal over that of a goddess?”
“I might take the word of a thief over that of a minor goddess, particularly one who behaves like a handmaid and enjoys consorting with mortals. I’ve heard stories about you, Nanay. They speak of you and men -”
“Enough, Nergal! You’ve said more than enough. I’ll listen to no more. Move! Get out of our way. Go back where you came from.”
Nergal laughed. “If I leave, Nanay, I’m taking you with me.”
“You just try.”
Nergal grinned and his voice turned cold as the night wind that rustles the dead reeds along riverbanks. “Namtar,” he summoned.
“Careful, Nergal, or I’ll call Ishkur back.”
“Come, Namtar.”
The ground between Nergal and Nanay swelled and bulged upwards like a boil. Then it burst, fissuring, spewing forth sulphurous fumes. The smoke swirled and coalesced into the form of a young man, his body as white as alabaster and his hair the color of pitch. He was slim but bare-chested like Nergal and dressed in leather kilt and boots.
“I warned you,” Nanay said and started to raise her arms.
Nergal pointed. “Still those women!” he commanded the colorless youth.
Namtar reached down and pulled the invisible Pall of Death up from the dark depths of the Earth. He flung it over Nanay and Denisha.
Nanay found herself suddenly caught in the throes of dying, her body frozen with her arms half raised. She struggled to move, but couldn’t. “What’s going on?” she mouthed.
Nergal ignored her, speaking to Namtar instead. “Render them powerless, save their eyes and ears. Leave them only the ability to waggle their tongues.”
“It shall be as you wish,” Namtar said and waved his hand.
“What’s going on?” Nanay mouthed again.
Nergal smiled. His eyes glittered. “My son is preparing you for the Underworld, my dear. He is readying you for the journey down to the Land of No Return.”
Nanay groaned. “By the gods, Nergal, you’ve gone mad … lost your mind. You can’t do this to me. I am a goddess. I’m immortal; I can’t die.”
“Ha, ha,” Nergal chuckled. “Can’t, you say? We’ll see. This is only the start, my dear Nanay. There’s more to come.”
26
Namtar turned to Nergal. “My Lord, I have stilled the ladies as you requested. I’ve rendered both devoid of movement save their tongues.”
“Excellent, my son, you’ve done well. You may leave us for the time being.”
“But, father … I have prepared them for the Underworld.” He licked his bloodless lips. “There are two of them. I thought I might partake … at least one.”
“Later, my son,” Nergal said. “They shall both be yours when the time comes. I will send for you.”
The young man hesitated, reluctant to depart.
“Later!” Nergal repeated loudly.
Finally, Namtar acquiesced with a sullen face and a stiff bow. “As my lord insists.” He backed a pace and desolidified, draining furiously into the fissure from whence he had issued with a loud hissing noise.
Nergal grimaced and turned away. “Youngsters!” he growled. “They have no sense of decency … no taste … like Ereshkigal’s son. He just publicly discharges himself into the ground. Ugh,” he said and shuddered.
“Ereshkigal should hear how you speak of her son,” Nanay mouthed.
“Leave my wife out of it, or I’ll –”
“Yes, Nergal, what will you do? I seem helpless to resist.”
Nergal stopped and rubbed his hands together. “Indeed, you are.”
“What do you plan, Nergal? To strip me naked? Ravish me?”
“Although you are but a minor goddess, Nanay … a divine of insignificant stature … you are reputed as the Goddess of Love and I have long dreamt of whiling away a night with you. I admit, you are attractive in an earthly way. You’ve probably noticed … ,” he smiled at her warmly, “ … I am virile and mature, with hair on my chest.” He patted his breast and smiled again. “And,” he added, “I am experienced.”
“I don’t need the buildup, Nergal. If you’re going to ravish me, go ahead and start. But what of this human mortal beside me? Her name is Denisha. It’s not yet her time to go; she’s too young to die. Let her go.”
“Ah, I see you … like Inanna and Enki … fancy yourself a protector of human mortals.”
“Are you going to let her go?”
“Why should you care? But since you do …” he chuckled, “… I might prepare for you by warming up with her.”
Denisha emitted a growl.
“But first,” Nergal said, “I need to ask you a few questions.”
“At a time like this?” Nanay mouthed. “What could be so important?”
“If you must know, I can’t go home without bringing my wife the latest news about the doings of the Queen of Heaven. After all, you know, Inanna is Ereshkigal’s sister.”
27
Nergal paused. “I have heard, Nanay, that you are a confidant of Inanna’s, one of her closest intimates. Tell me, why does she wish to possess the Marshlands?”
“She doesn’t. The Marshlands are a reed swamp in Chaldea where people live in abject poverty. What in kur would the goddess want with them?”
“But she sent her zu-birds there, did she not? To Kutallu, I mean. I know that for a fact. As I told you, Queen Bau caught her spy.”
“Ah, yes, the famed Shugat-Nergal. He’s a story in himself, but one you’d likely not understand.”
“Oh? Try me.”
The Goddess of Love told him about Shugat. “It’s only recently,” she concluded, “that Denisha realized she’d developed a certain fondness for him. That’s when she acknowledged her weakness and asked me to help her bring him to justice.”
“Is that so?” Nergal said. His eyes lit up and he turned to focus them on Denisha. “So, you relish strong men, do you?”
Denisha struggled but could hardly move. “I can hold my own,” she mouthed.
“Interesting,” Nergal said. “Though you are a mere mortal, you sound like you might present a challenge, even to a god as powerful as me.” He started towards her. “I think I’ll start with you.”
“No!” Denisha mouthed.
The God of the Underworld smiled. “There’s no need to act like that. Denisha … that is your name, isn’t it? How many daughters of men can boast of having been taken by a god? Especially one as famous as the King of the Underworld?”
“Don’t you dare touch me!”
“Relax, my dear. You’ll soon change your mind.”
“Why don’t you go back home to Ereshkigal where you belong?”
“Bitch!” Nergal exclaimed and slapped her face. “No mortal talks to me like that! You’d better keep a civil tongue. My wife is Queen of the Underworld.” He tore at Denisha’s tunic, ripping off its shoulder so her breasts were exposed. “Nice,” he said.
“You bastard!”
He reached again, this time for the hem of her tunic. Suddenly, a man’s voice came from behind. “Stop!”
“Who in kur -?” Nergal turned around.
From within the shadow-laced overhang of a nearby willow tree, Shugat-Nergal stepped into view.
To Chapter 28
Go Back to the Fiction Menu
| |
