Kur is neither a realm of punishment nor reward, rather it is simply a place where all souls go after they have passed from the land of the living. Life in Kur has often been described as a bleaker version of life on Earth. The Underworld was protected by seven gates that the dead had to pass through in order to get in.Â
   The souls would be judged and then assigned a place in the community. This judgment and placement was not of an ethical nature and had nothing to do with the deceasedâs merits during its lifetime. Instead, it had rather a clerical function and confirmed, according to the rules of the netherworld, the soulâs entrance into its new home. Yet the judgment and placement of the soul in the netherworld was not entirely arbitrary or neutral. Just as social hierarchies existed within living communities, so too did a hierarchy between souls exist in the âgreat cityâ of the dead. The status of an soul in the netherworld was determined by two factors: the social status of the deceased while alive, and the post-mortem care its body and grave or cult statue received from the living on earth. Kings like Urnamma and Gilgamesh remained rulers and judges of the dead in the netherworld, and priests remained priests. In this respect the social order underground mimicked that above.
   In the underworld the soul could be reunited with relatives who had preceded them in death. It should be noted, however, that although the soul was capable of recognizing and being recognized by the ghosts of people the deceased had known during life, these ghosts do not seem to have retained the deceasedâs unique personality traits in the netherworld.
   The fate of the soul after corporeal death depended on performance of the proper post-mortem rituals by the living. First, funerary rites at the time of death were necessary for the soulâs successful journey to and integration into the netherworld. Second, continued cultic offerings at the deceasedâs grave or cult statue were required to ensure the soulâs comfortable existence in the netherworld. It is said the the residents of Kur eat dust and drink salty, bitter water unless their loved ones bring offerings to their graves.
   Both non-elites and elites required such rituals, but the necessity of death cults for the elite was particularly emphasized. The primary difference between death cults for the non-elite and elite appears to have been that, for ordinary people, only the deceased personally known to their descendants â such as immediate family â required individual soul cults. Distant relatives seem to have merged together in a sort of corporate ancestor. In contrast, royal cult offerings were made individually to all ancestors of the reigning king.
   As long as offerings continued regularly, the souls remained at peace in the netherworld. Pacified ghosts were friendly and could be induced to aid the living, or at least were prevented from harming them. A person who did not receive proper burial rites or cultic offerings, however, became a restless ghost or vicious demon. Some cases where this could occur included people who were left unburied, suffered a violent death or other unnatural end, or died unmarried. Vicious ghosts pursued, seized, bound, or even physically abused their victims, and could also possess victims by entering into them via their ears. They could also haunt the dreams of the living. Sickness, both physical and psychological, and misfortune were often believed to be caused by the anger of a restless soul. This is where Ereshkigalâs role of âwardenâ comes into play. She often has to use her power to control and subdue the angry and restless souls, making sure they donât cause trouble amongst the other souls or the people of the living world.
   Also !!! something I forgot to add: There are/were some cults that believed by sacrificing offerings to Ereshkigalâs sister, Inanna, their loved ones would have a more favorable afterlife in Kur. However, Ereshkigal is very quick to correct this belief anytime it comes up. She always has been and (likely) always will be the only one with any power in Kur in regards to how the dead souls are treated and cared for.
   As far as personal HCs go regarding this, I think that while the sisters were still in good standing with each other, Inanna may have been able to ask Ereshkigal for favors on account of the sacrifices that were made to her. However, I still donât think it would have made a significant enough difference that it was something that was warranted or necessary.
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