In Mesopotamian religion , the god of the city of Cuthah in Akkad .
The name of his temple, Emeslam or Meslam ("luxuriant mesu tree"), may indicate that he was originally a tree god. Later he was identified as the ruler of the netherworld and the spouse of its queen, Ereshkigal . He was the son of Enlil, god of the atmosphere, and Ninlil, goddess of grain, and he often appears in hymns as a warrior. He sometimes visited terrible plagues on his people and their herds.