Namtar

In Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian mythology Namtar was a hellish deity, god of death, and the messenger of An, Ereshkigal and Nergal; he was considered responsible for diseases and pests, because it was said that he commanded sixty diseases in the form of demons that could penetrate different parts of the human body, and offerings to him were made with the purpose of preventing those illnesses. It is thought that Assyrians and Babylonians took this belief from the Sumerians after conquering them. Other spellings: Namtara, Namtaru.