In the game Fate/Grand Order the player is tasked with traveling through time to prevent Mage-King Solomon from destroying mankind. Along the way the player must acquire servants who lend their powers for the good of mankind.
One of these servants is Ereshkigal, only usable during special events. This Lancer class servant is one of the most powerful in the lore and her backstory is only slowly revealed as she improves and levels up. Because of this there’s a lot about this ferocious young woman that many players don’t know about.
10 Goddess Of The Netherworld
Initially she’s said to be the Lancer, it’s only over time that the player learns her true identity is Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Netherworld. Her primary responsibility is the preservation and safe keeping of the dead.
She accompanies the player to defeat Tiamat, but in doing so breaks the conditions of her authority. It seems that Ereshkigal is limited in her influence on the surface world, suggesting more of an observatory role. That being said she has found loopholes as evident with her ability to manipulate dragons, snakes, and use of her Noble Phantasm, The Bellows of Kur That Tramples Upon Ekur.
9 Variety Of Powers
In addition to her control over snakes and dragons and her ultimate weapon that can rock the very foundation of Mt. Ebih, she has a number of other skills and powers. In battle she’s shown the ability to eviscerate enemies with her spear-cage, can imprison souls with it, and can summoning lightning from the heavens to strike down foes, all of which are helpful in battle.
Considering these displays are done outside of the underworld it stands to reason that she would be much more powerful and fearsome within her domain.
8 Disappeared For A While
For some time her whereabouts and knowledge of her existence was very limited. She had disappeared shortly after the Age of Gods.
As a result she has never known life on the surface as she was born into her role as Goddess of the Underworld and has never abandoned that post. No doubt this is a large part of why she is so despised and feared by mortals, they’ve never encountered her unless it was through death.
7 Isn’t Actually Her
The Ereshkigal you see in the games isn’t the true form of the Goddess of the Underworld. It’s in fact a young woman that the Goddess has chosen to inhabit or possess. The name of the young woman whose body she inhabits is unknown and it’s unclear if she’s aware of the possession or even if she’s still part of the body in some way.
As a result Ereshkigal is actually a Pseudo-Servant in Fate/Grand Order, assisting the player in battle out of choice rather than through compulsion like the other servants.
6 Hates The Living, Cares For The Dead
Ereshkigal has made it clear that she does not like the living. When discussing the matter with the protagonist she says in no uncertain terms that, “Living things are simply sickening,” preferring the deceased instead.
Interestingly she has a strong attachment to those who have deceased and laments that she can’t or hasn’t built better accommodations to house everyone in the Underworld. It could be her hatred for the living stems from her rivalry with Ishtar, though her pariah-like status may have something to do with it.
5 Killed Ishtar
Speaking of her rivalry with Ishtar it’s said that Ishtar once visited Ereshkigal in the Underworld and the visit became so heated that Ereshkigal killed Ishtar. Being a divine being the incident was more of an inconvenience for Ishtar than a genuine threat, but it’s noteworthy nevertheless.
It’s also never been revealed why Ereshkigal killed her in the first place, nor why there’s such a heated rivalry between the two. It could be the nature of their positions necessitates conflict between the two, but this is never stated in the game.
4 Might Be Half Of An Entity
One interesting legend among the people in the game is that Ereshkigal and Ishtar were actually two parts of the same being that split at some time in the past. It could be that the divine being split over the conflict between the two parts leading to the creation of the Goddess of life and death.
Another theory is that the being recognized its inability to rule over two realms that conflicted with each other and split itself in order to carry out these roles. It’s unclear if the two beings could ever reunite, though given their animosity towards each other it’s unlikely to ever happen anyway.
3 Weaker Than Ishtar
According to the lore of the game Ereshkigal isn’t as powerful as Ishtar. The game specifically states that the destruction and devastation caused when Ereshkigal uses her power The Bellow of Kur that Tramples upon Ekur it isn’t as devastating as Ishtar’s Mountain Range-Shaking Firewood of Venus.
Granted the difference is hardly important to mortals as either power would lead to tremendous loss of life, but it is interesting that the Goddess of Life is capable of greater destruction than the Goddess of Death.
2 Knows She’s A Villain
An interesting aspect of Ereshkigal’s personality is that she knows she’s a villain. As the keeper of the dead, responsible for the demise and destruction of all things, she knows her role in mankind’s ultimate fate is bad.
But she rejects the notion that she’s evil, at least as humans define it. Admittedly her role as Goddess of the Underworld is a necessary evil, but she is known for choosing to be cruel and brutal to the living. So while she refuses to see her acts as evil they can be objectively classified as evil, in fact the game labels her alignment as Chaotic Evil.
1 Resents Being An Outcast
The unfortunate reality for Ereshkigal is that while her job is necessary it is a role shunned by both mortals and divine beings. As a result she’s considered an outcast and is held in contempt by the living.
For a brief moment she confides with the player that she wishes she could have the freedom and respect that Ishtar has. To be seen not as the “Mistress of the Underworld” but a being with thoughts and emotions outside of her status.
NEXT: FGO: 10 Pro Tips For Fate/Grand Order You Should Know
