It's Actually Ninkigal

Thanks to autocorrect I've sent messages like "Ninjutsu was another name for Ereshkigal in Assyrian mythology." This mistake has created the image of the dread keeper of Irkalla as a crime-fighting ninja, although since Marvel Comics has already had an Ereshkigal figure since 1981, pictured here, there's not much of a market for that.

I'm an eclectic Pagan, meaning that I draw my personal Pagan religion together from the mythos and ritual of several places of origin. My explanation is that I have answered the gods who have reached out to me and resonated with me, a highly personal experience that I'm reluctant to speak openly about. Several of these gods have found their names given to various comic book characters over the decades, which is where we're going to connect back to Marvel.

I was asked recently how I felt about versions of Þórr and Óðinn debuting in the Marvel films as Thor and Odin, and the more general use of mythological figures in my own religion being reimagined as superheroes. (Myth, by the way, in this article is used as religious terminology meaning "sacred writings and narratives.")

My first response was to say that I would never say no to a chance to see Tom Hiddleston on the silver screen (and we're talking about the movie incarnation because I'm still sore about issue #645 of Journey Into Mystery), but I gave it some more thought while I was alone later.

The truth is that I don't dislike comicized gods and goddesses at all. Sacred narrative, myth, is, at its heart, storytelling, and engaging in storytelling is a crucial part of being alive. Drawing upon earlier stories to inspire and create new ones is a worthy endeavor, even a required task. It weaves the past into the present, revives cultural interest in its heritage, and gives us movies with Tom Hiddleston.

Some Pagans are even drawn to older mythologies through modern inspired-by versions of the characters, and that's a touching and very personal way to begin your religious journey.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised that the folks at Marvel haven't mined the Mabinogion or the four great cycles of Irish mythology in greater detail, if they've mined them at all. A Rigantona-inspired heroine deserves her own series.

#mythology #comics