In
Mesopotamian mythology,
Ereshkigal ( , lit. "Queen of the Great Earth") was the goddess of
Irkalla, the land of the dead or
underworld. Sometimes her name is given as
Irkalla, similar to the way the name
Hades was used in
Greek mythology for both the underworld and its ruler, and sometimes it is given as Ninkigal, lit. "Great Lady of the Earth" or "Lady of the Great Earth".