The Pursuit of
Shugat-Nergal
A story set in Ancient Sumer
by James W. Bell © 2002 - 2004
52
When they reached Zabalam, Ishkur landed his cloud near the Gibil Canal, outside the city wall, some distance from town. He slid off first. “Shugat,” he called to the mortal still on the edge of the cloud, “we’re here! Let’s go find Nanay.”
Shugat hurried down. “Hold on, Holy One. With women, the first impression is very important. You may be unaware that I am a quick change artist of some renown. Before we go looking for the love goddess, I suggest you let me fix you up a little—get you dressed in style.”
The old god chuckled. “At my age? Son, I’ve been a hermit for eons. What can you do with an ancient like me?”
“My lord, at least give me leave to try.”
Ishkur drew back as if he feared Shugat’s touch.
“My lord, need I remind you that I was successful in attracting both Ereshkigal and Inanna? Is it not obvious that I’m knowledgeable, especially about ladies?”
“All right, Shugat-Nergal, I’ll put myself in your hands. Do your best.”
Shugat had Ishkur sit down cross-legged on the ground in front of him, facing away. “Now, my lord,” Shugat commenced, “you’ll have to do your part. Concentrate. Think of yourself as a young man again. Picture how you felt eons ago when you were preparing to descend from Heaven.”
Ishkur closed his eyes and bowed his head.
“Youth,” Shugat said. “Youth,” he repeated. The lines on the back of the old god’s neck started to blur. “Think of yourself as a vigorous lad … virile and vital.” Shugat’s voice went on, rising and falling, up and down—becoming rhythmic.
As Shugat continued, the storm god’s body swayed to the cadence of his words. Ishkur’s skin softened, as if melting. Little by little, age wrinkles thinned, then disappeared. His gnarled fingers smoothed as they straightened and fleshed out. His snow white hair first grayed and then darkened, gaining luster as it turned black. By the time Shugat’s voice subsided, the mountain god had metamorphosed into a young deity.
When Ishkur raised his head, a gasp came out of thin air. “It’s a miracle!” Mulim’s voice declared.
Shugat walked around to see for himself. He beheld a young god sitting on the ground, a divinity in his prime whose whiskered visage was punctuated with sparkling eyes and high cheekbones, a profile that emanated an aura of strength.
My lord,” Shugat said, “how do you feel?”
“I feel great!” Ishkur exclaimed. “Tell me, how do I look?”
“Striking,” Shugat answered, “like the powerful, young god of old.”
“I’ll say!” Mulim’s voice added.
“But, my lord,” Shugat quickly said, “your appearance is still a bit rustic, as if you had just come out of the mountainlands. We need to shave off that long beard and trim your hair.”
“And my robe,” Ishkur noted. He raised his arms to display frayed cuffs. “What can you do about it? I’ve been wearing this for as long as I can recall.”
“It’s in bad shape,” Shugat agreed, “worse than mine. I’m going into town for the razor and supplies. I’ll shop for clothes while I’m there. Then we’ll both be dressed properly.”
“You have money?” the mountain god asked.
Shugat grinned and briefly considered mentioning how he had cleverly lifted Queen Ereshkigal’s jewels and smuggled them out of the mountainlands. On reconsideration, he thought better of it. “Don’t worry, my lord. I have a bagful of shekels. I’ll be back in an hour or so. You and Mulim wait here.”
* * *
Shugat was strutting when he returned. Ishkur’s stare and Mulim’s gasp delighted him. “I’ve made quite a change, haven’t I?”
He knew they were seeing his face, clean shaven except for a moustache he decided to keep, now waxed and curled to give a more dashing appearance. Nor would they be able to miss his rich, new tunic of brown wool and the bright yellow turban on his head or the crafted leather sandals on his feet. He felt on top of the world.
“I’ve seldom seen a mortal so well attired,” Ishkur said. “So debonair.”
“Thank you, my lord. I’ve bought one of the finest obsidian blades. Let me give you a shave and cut your hair. Then we’ll get you dressed in new clothes. When I’m through, you’ll look as splendid as me.”
“Bless Bes, Shugat-Nergal, go ahead.”
After getting a bowl of water from the canal, Shugat reached in his bag and pulled out the blade and grabbed a handful of soapwort scented with sweet reed. “Hold still,” he told the god and started shaving off his whiskers. When Ishkur’s beard was gone and his hair cut, Shugat helped the god don the new clothes he had brought for him - a mountaineer’s outfit with a bleached woolen shirt and breeches of black wool that tucked into thick leather boots.
When Ishkur was dressed, Shugat stood beside him. “Okay, Mulim,” he said, “tell us how we look.”
“Like two young men dressed for a night in the city.”
“Good,” Shugat said. “Now, Holy One, are you ready to go find Nanay?”
“One moment, Shugat. We seek romance, do we not?”
“Most certainly.”
“Then, let’s lay off the ‘Holy One’ bit. Just call me Ishkur.” He winked. “Too much religion might spoil a good thing.”
“You’re starting on the right foot, Ishkur. We’ll do well. I can tell. Ready?”
“Lead the way.”
53
Shugat spotted Denisha and Nanay in the city marketplace, shopping at different tables. He winked at Ishkur and positioned himself behind the table Denisha was looking over, so she couldn’t miss spotting him.
When Denisha glanced up, she gasped.
Shugat maintained a sophisticated air. “Good day, Denisha.”
“Shugat!” she cried and threw her arms around him. “Oh, Shugat, when I left you with that mean old Nergal, knowing he was going to kill you and take you below into the dreadful Underworld, I thought I’d never see you again.”
Shugat held her tight and felt the soft warmth of her body pressed against him. “I made you a promise, Denisha. I told you I’d meet you here in Zabalam, didn’t I?”
She nodded. “And I believed you, Shugat. Even though I knew you were a thief and a man few trusted, I waited for you. However did you escape?”
“Later, Denisha. It’s a long story. At the moment, I want you to say hello to someone who came with me.”
Shugat turned and motioned Ishkur over.
The young god joined them. “Hello, Denisha,” he said.
“Hello,” she replied. “Do I know you?”
The god laughed. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”
“Sorry, I’m afraid not.”
“I’m Ishkur … the mountain storm god who helped you and Nanay when you were threatened by the ushumgal in the park.”
“But – Holy One, you looked so old! Now … you look so young.”
“It’s all because of Shugat-Nergal.”
Denisha turned to Shugat. “What have you done to Ishkur, Shugat? Used magic?”
Shugat shook his head. “Only suggestion. The change in Ishkur is mostly his own doing. He was able to change because he was anxious to see Nanay again, and – hopefully – become better acquainted with her.”
“Oh! I forgot.” Denisha whirled around. “Nanay!” she called to the goddess at a nearby table. “Shugat-Nergal’s here with a friend of ours.”
Nanay hurried over. “Hello, Shugat,” she greeted him with a warm smile. “My, you’re dressed up. I owe you thanks for saving me from that awful beast, Nergal.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. Then she turned to the young man standing beside Shugat.
“Hello, Nanay,” the young man said.
Nanay studied him with narrowed eyes. “You look familiar. I’m sure I know you from somewhere, but I can’t place where.”
“I live in the mountainlands.”
“The only person I know from there is Ishkur and he’s an old …” Her voice trailed off and her eyes opened wide. Then she screamed, “Ishkur!” and threw her arms around him.
The mountain storm god held her tight. “Don’t I deserve a kiss?”
“Yes!” The goddess kissed him. “By the gods, Ishkur, you’ve changed. What happened to you?”
“I woke up, Nanay. Although I’m a god … an immortal … somehow the Earth had tricked me into aging. I believed myself to be old, like a mortal, and losing my powers. It was Shugat-Nergal who made me aware of what I was doing to myself. He helped me rejuvenate.”
“How wonderful!” Nanay turned to Shugat. “Shugat, we both owe you thanks.” Then she turned back to Ishkur. “You saved Denisha and me from that dragon when we were hiding in the park on the Iturungal. I want to hear everything that’s happened to you since.”
A voice came out of thin air and whispered in Ishkur’s ear. “This is your chance. You’d better make the most of it.”
“What was that?” the goddess asked.
“Only an insect,” the young god said. “I’d love to tell you, Nanay, but it’s a long story. Perhaps you and I could find some secluded place ….”
Nanay giggled. “Is this leading up to a proposition?”
“Depends on you.”
Nanay laughed. “Then, let’s go look for that secluded place.”
As they walked off arm in arm, Denisha said, “I’d swear I heard someone whisper something to Ishkur.”
Shugat grinned. “Denisha, I never fully appreciated how observant you were. Perhaps you did hear someone.”
“Who?” She looked around. “I don’t see anybody near us.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Another long story?” She giggled. “If I invited you to my apartment, would you tell me?”
“How can I refuse an offer like that?”
54
The next morning, Denisha went out early to buy fresh milk. On the way, she came across Nanay. “Morning, my lady,” Denisha said. “How did it go last night?”
“It was wonderful! Poor Ishkur. I never realized how terribly lonely he was up there in the mountains. I comforted him throughout the night. He’s still asleep.”
“That’s sweet,” Denisha said.
“And you? Have you finally arrested Shugat-Nergal?”
Denisha’s face broke out into a big smile. “My lady, his thieving days are over.”
The love goddess frowned. “How can you be sure when it’s Shugat?”
“Because Shugat’s rich. He’s brought back jewelry from the Underworld worth a fortune, enough to last a lifetime. He’s retired from thievery.”
“Are you going to let him go?”
Denisha grinned.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
“Yes. A man came to my apartment last night and banged on the door.”
Nanay raised an eyebrow.
“I answered the door. It was a pale, young man dressed in black. He introduced himself as Namtar, and said he was there to see Shugat-Nergal.”
“Aha,” Nanay said, “the feared herald from the Underworld. Did he say what he wanted with Shugat?”
“He said he was on a reclamation mission. He told me Shugat had not only escaped the Underworld but had taken the queen’s jewels and he had been sent to reclaim both.”
“So …”
“Shugat was in bed, with the covers pulled up. When I asked him what to do, he told me to tell Namtar to go away. So I did. I said, ‘Namtar, Shugat wants you to go away.’ I could tell that made Namtar mad.
“‘I’ve come all the way up from the Underworld for Shugat-Nergal,’ he said and tried to force his way in. ‘This is my second trip up to the Great Above. It’s a long way up and a long way back down. I’ll be damned if I’m going back empty-handed this time!’
“Shugat wants you to go away, I told him again. You’d better leave.
“‘No,’ he said, trying to push past me. ‘I’m not leaving without Shugat and the jewels.’
“Poor Namtar didn’t realize I was an experienced watcher. I gave him a kick … you know where, and dropped him. I must have kicked harder than I thought, because I saw tears in his eyes. I knew I was ahead so I said, ‘Are you leaving or do you want more?’
“He pulled himself up. ‘I’ll go,’ he said, ‘but you tell that no-good thief hiding under the covers in your bed that I’m coming back for him sometime when you’re not around.’
“My lady, that did it. I grabbed Namtar by the front of his tunic and pulled him close so we were eye to eye. ‘Get and stay gone!’ I said. I pushed him out into the street and slammed the door. He must have taken the hint because I haven’t seen him since.”
“You had quite a night,” Nanay said.
“That wasn’t the end of it.”
“Oh? What else?”
“I told Shugat that since Namtar was after him, it might be a good idea if he kept a professional watcher around … someone like me … as a bodyguard.”
“I’ll bet he had a good laugh out of that.”
“By Nin, no! That’s when he got down on bended knee and proposed. My lady, can you imagine? He asked me to go to Uruk with him and get married.”
“In Uruk?”
“Shugat feels it would be better if we were married there. He said he wanted a big wedding with lutes and lyres and tigi drums. So we’re leaving by boat this afternoon.”
“Congratulations, Denisha. I think you’ve finally gotten your man.”
“My lady, I have. With your help. I’m so happy. I don’t know what else I could possibly ask for.”
* * *
“So, Denisha left with Shugat-Nergal?” Ishkur asked.
“This afternoon, by boat,” Nanay replied. “They’re on their way to Uruk to get married. It’s hard to believe Denisha fell in love with a thief who became a hero, a miscreant returned from the Underworld with a fortune who then gave up his criminal career. With all that, he told Denisha he needs her. Can you imagine?”
Ishkur thought it over and shook his head. “No. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?”
Finis
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