here they gnashed their teeth, or into places of horror
swarming with poisonous reptiles.

Ishtar was similarly tortured by the plague demon, Namtar, when she
boldly entered the Babylonian Underworld to search for Tammuz. Other
sufferings were, no doubt, in store for her, resembling those,
perhaps, with which the giant maid in the Eddic poem "Skirnismal" was
threatened when she refused to marry Frey, the god of fertility and
harvest:

Trolls shall torment thee from morn till eve
In the realms of the Jotun race,
Each day to the dwellings of Frost giants must thou
Creep helpless, creep hopeless of love;
Thou shalt weeping have in the stead of joy,
And sore burden bear with tears....
May madness and shrieking, bondage and yearning
Burden thee with bondage and tears.[246]

In like manner, too, the inhabitants of the Indian Hell suffered
endless and complicated tortures.[247]

The Persephone of the Babylonian Underworld was Eresh-ki-gal, who was
also called Allatu. A myth, which was found among the Egyptian
Tel-el-Amarna "Letters", sets forth that on one occasion the
Babylonian gods held a feast. All the deities attended it, except
Eresh-ki-gal. She was unable to leave her gloomy Underworld, and sent
her messenger, the plague demon Namtar, to obtain her share. The
various deities honoured Namtar, except Nergal, by standing up to
receive him. When Eresh-ki-gal was informed of this slight she became
very angry, and demanded that Nergal should be delivered up to her so
that he might be put to death. The storm god at once hastened to the
Underworld, accompanied by his own group of fierce demons, whom he
placed as guardians at the various doors so as to prevent the escape
of Eresh-ki-gal. Then he went boldly towards the goddess, clutched her
by the hair, and dragged her from her throne. After a brief struggle,
she found herself overpowered. Nergal made ready to cut off her head,
but she cried for mercy and said: "Do not kill me, my brother! Let me
speak to thee."

This appeal indicated that she desired to ransom her life--like the
hags in the European folk tales--so Nergal unloosed his hold.

Then Eresh-ki-gal continued: "Be thou my husband and I will be thy
wife. On thee I confer sovereignty over the wide earth, giving thee
the tablet of wisdom. Thou shalt be my lord and I will be thy lady."

Nergal accepted these terms by kissing the goddess. Affectionately
drying her tears, he