In ancient Mesopotamia the Underworld Kur is ruled by the sultry and temperamental Goddess Queen Ereskigal. As usual among Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, Ereshkigal has a sukkal or royal attendant.
Her sukkal is Namtar, a man-beast hideous to look upon. He's originally one of the demons of disease who inhabit the nether realm.
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Gods and their sukkals are usually the same gender but it's not a hard rule. Namtar breaks with convention as he's a male sukkal to a female deity.
His primary role is to attend to the needs of Ereshkigal, run errands, deliver messages, arrange meetings and back her up in fights. She's a high-maintenance goddess needing plenty of attention. The closest equating word to sukkal is vizier.
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He lives at the royal palace, a place of luxury, and keeps court along with the scribe of Ereskigal, Belet-Seri or Geshtinanna. Namtar is part man, part monster. Although he's not actively worshipped, some incantations call on him to keep demons and other evil forces in the Underworld.
As sukkal to a powerful figure, Namtar may have his own temple beside that of Ereshkigal. Demons are not worshipped in ancient Mesopotamia. However, Namtar's role as sukkal necessitates human contact. Ereshkigal is a popular deity in the Overworld, her worship lasting over twenty centuries.
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Sometimes no one is allowed to enter the sacred space except the priests. If the people can't connect with the Goddess directly, they can ask a favor for the intercession of Namtar, her sukkal. A supplicant then speaks or sings incantations and makes sacrifice to Namtar.
In Sumerian, the oldest written language (c. 3400), Namtar's name means "fate" and he embodies unavoidable fate, generally death. He can be compared to Mot the personification of death itself in Ugaritic sources.
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In a Mesopotamian flood myth, the god Enlil asks Namtar to spread disease among the humans, because their noise is keeping him awake. The humans survive the plague. Enlil then creates a drought, then a flood. With the last, the world is more peaceful and he can finally take a nap.
Back in the Underworld, Namtar is married to Sumerian netherworld Goddess Hušbišag or Hushbishag, called the 'stewardess of the Underworld'. With her he has one daughter, Ḫedimmeku. Both women remain vague figures in the land of the Dead.
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Namtar is originally a demon of disease residing in the Underworld. He becomes the sukkal of Ereshkigal in the 2nd millennium BCE.
This is about the same time Nergal, a god of war and disease, becomes her husband. Namtar soon must put his diplomatic skills to work as fights between Ereskigal and Nergal rage, usually centered around Nergal's sexual infidelity. Nergal's sukkal Ishum might be dragged into the conflict, too.
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As a disease demon, Namtar is often paired with the powerful malevolent entity Asag in incantations. The two demons are the most dangerous sources of disease. Another demon of diseases, the god Šulpae, is sometimes compared to Namtar.
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