Originating from the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Sumerian mythology, Irkalla (also Ir-Kalla, Irkalia or Ereshkigal) is the queen of the Underworld and guardian and patroness of the Dark City, and has the ability to raise the dead. Her name translates from ancient Sumerian to mean "the big land" or literally "Underworld."
Demonic goddess of the Underworld, she has the body of a woman with the head of a lioness. In art she is depicted as holding a serpent in her hand. In the Sumerian myth she is married to Gugalanna, but her consort is Nergal and she is passionately in love with him. Irkalla is bitter, dark, and violent by nature, but mortuary offerings and being praised in hymns can prevent her from turning her aggression towards mankind.