Meslamtaea

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.

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▪ Mesopotamian deity

      in Mesopotamian religion, city god of Cuthah in Akkad. His temple in Cuthah was called Emeslam, or Meslam (Luxuriant Mesu Tree). His name, which means “He Who Comes Forth from Meslam,” perhaps indicates that he was originally a tree god, which would agree with his general chthonian, or underworld, character. He was the son of Enlil, god of the atmosphere, and of Ninlil (Akkadian: Belit), goddess of grain, and he appears in hymns as a warrior similar to the war god Ninurta. Meslamtaea's weapons, however, sometimes seem to be turned against his own people and their herds, when he kills them in great plagues. He seems to have been closely related to or identical with the god Nergal, and, as such, he was ruler of the netherworld and the spouse of its queen, Ereshkigal; this position, however, may not have been original with the god.

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