In Mesopotamian religion , a secondary god of the Sumero-Akkadian pantheon.
He was identified with Irra, the god of scorched earth and war, and with Meslamtaea. The city of Cuthah was the center of his cult. In the 1st millennium BC he was described as a benefactor who hears prayers, restores the dead to life, and protects agriculture and flocks. Later he was called a "destroying flame" and was depicted as a god of pestilence, hunger, and devastation. The other sphere of Nergal's power was the underworld, where he ruled as king and where the goddess Ereshkigal was his queen.