Status
Call number
Collection
Publication
Description
Hail to You, Ereshkigal, Great Queen of Those Below. Mistress of the Shadows. Lady of Bones and Dust. Frightening One of the Far Places Where Men Fear to Go. Strong One Who Builds the Boundaries and Knows How to Tear Them Down.Queen of the Great Below is a collection of poems, essays and personal ritual experiences by modern devotees in honor of Ereshkigal. Once worshipped as Ruler of the Underworld from the shores of the Euphrates to the banks of the Nile, Ereshkigal is now known primarily for her role as the antagonist in The Descent of Inanna. In this unique devotional anthology, however, Ereshkigal is revealed to be a multi-faceted deity of transformation, boundary-keeping, and passion, a teacher of harsh but necessary lessons.You stand at the brink of the Underworld, on the shadowed path that few walk willingly. Those who have contributed to this devotional have walked this road and returned, bearing the blessings of the Queen.We invite you to walk this path, as well.Ereshkigal awaits ....[Editor's Note: This text contains references to BDSM and the ordeal path.]… (more)
User reviews
In large part, I enjoyed the collection. There is a heavy emphasis
On the other hand, I felt as if the devotional was a bit one-sided. While the descent of Inanna is the best known story of Ereshkigal, to focus so much on that single archetype seems to do Ereshkigal a disservice as well. In an entire book, I expect to find a slightly wider range of ideas and topics. The book is nonetheless excellent reading and definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in dark goddesses or Sumerian mythology.
There are several well-known figures in the contribors list. Lee Harrington, Galina Krasskova, Inara de Luna, Clare Vaughn, Erynn Rowan Laurie, and H. Jeremiah Lewis are all respected authors in their own fields of spirituality.
According to the Introduction, Ereshkigal is best known as a rather scary, vengeful figure in an ancient myth called "The Descent of Inanna." The contributors' stories and poems reveal other facets of her personality that were experienced through ritual or even being possessed by her energy. While Ereshkigal is definitely a "dark" goddess, she is never presented as evil. The contributors describe sometimes painful events, but the end result is always healing and/or growth.
While I genuinely enjoyed the pieces, what was missing from the book was a more in-depth description of how people can work with Ereshkigal on their own. The editor refers to shadow work, the ordeal path, processing grief and anger, but the pieces don't provide as much information about that as I would like. There is only a short essay at the end called "Meeting Ereshkigal" which provides some tips on setting up a first encounter with her. Even without that, however, this is still a fascinating book.