In Sumerian mythology, which goddess rules the Netherworld?

In Sumerian mythology, Ereshkigal rules the Netherworld.

Ereshkigal is the queen of the realm of the dead and the sister of Inanna in important Mesopotamian myths. Unlike Inanna, who represents sexuality, fertility, warfare, and political power, Ereshkigal is associated with death and the underworld. Her authority is absolute within that realm.

In Inanna’s Descent to the Netherworld, Ereshkigal receives her sister at the seven gates and orders the judgment that leads to Inanna’s death. In the later myth of Nergal and Ereshkigal, the warrior god Nergal becomes her consort, but this does not replace Ereshkigal as the underworld’s principal queen.

Translations and later traditions sometimes describe the Netherworld with different names, including Kur or Irkalla. Those terms refer to the realm or its broader conception, while Ereshkigal is the ruling goddess.