On the arrival of Ištar in Hades, Erêš-ki-gal commanded Namtaru, the god of fate, to smite Ištar with disease in all her members--eyes, sides, feet, heart, and head. As things went wrong on the earth in consequence of the absence of the goddess of love, the gods sent a messenger to effect her release. When he reached the land of No-return, the queen of the region threatened him with all kinds of torments--the food of the gutters of the city were to be his food, the oil-jars of the city (naptha?) his drink, the gloom of the castle his resting-place, a stone slab his seat, and hunger and thirst were to shatter his strength. These were evidently the punishments inflicted there, but as the messenger threatened was a divine one, they were probably not put into execution, and he obtained his demand, for Ištar was set free, receiving back at each gate, in reverse order, the clothing and ornaments which had been taken from her when she had descended thither. It is uncertain whether Tammuz, for whom she had gone down, was set free also, but as he is referred to, it is not improbable that this was the case. WORKS BEARING UPON THE RELIGION OF THE BABYLONIANS AND ASSYRIANS Hibbert Lectures, 1887. The Religion of the Ancient Babylonians, by Professor A. H. Sayce. The Religious Ideas of the Babylonians, by the Author, 1895 (Journal of the Victoria Institute, also separately). The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, by Morris Jastrow, jun., 1898. (German edition, vol. i. 1905, vol. ii. in progress.) Babylonian Religion and Mythology, by L. W. King, M.A., 1899. Gifford Lectures, 1902. Religions of Egypt and Babylonia, by Professor A. H. Sayce. The O.T. in the Light of the Records of Assyria and Babylonia, by the Author, 1903. (The portions referring to Babylonian Mythology.) The Hymns to Tammuz in the Manchester Museum, Owens College, by the Author, 1904. ARTICLES UPON THE ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN DEITIES, AND THE RELIGION OF THREE NATIONS, IN Dictionary of the Bible, edited by Dr. James Hastings, and Encyclopædia Biblica, edited by Professor Cheyne. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, by Theophilus G. Pinches