Nirrti
Earth Culture of Origin
India
Alternate Names / Spellings
Nirriti, Nirrta (male aspect)
Presides Over
Nirrti was a Hindu Vedic goddess of death, destruction and terrifying evil. She has been connected with the goddess Kali as one aspect of the mother-creator-liberator deity. Nirrti is said to live in the south, considered the land of the dead. In later Hinduism, Nirrti becomes a male Dikpala god of terrifying aspect.
Personal Symbols
Earth Mythological References
It is said those who wish to acquire magical powers should worship Nirrti. As a diety, she exists to punish people who do evil, while leaving good people alone. Her children, on the other hand - Mrtyu (death), Bhaya (fear) and Mahabhaya (terror) - tend to instill a sense of apprehension.
Stargate References
Nirrti is a rogue among her own kind. Rather than seeking power and dominance, the main thrust of her quest has been to find or create the perfect hok’taur (human host). She first became known to the Tau'ri as the Goa'uld who unleashed a disease upon the planet Hanka, killing a visiting SG team along with all of the human inhabitants of the planet, save one child - Cassandra. Nirrti had planted a biologically-triggered bomb into the child's body, leaving her for the Tau'ri to find and take her back with them (1.15 "Singularity").
Later, Nirrti was part of the Goa'uld delegation convening on Earth at the invitation of the Asgard, who were attempting to broker a deal to make Earth a part of the Protected Planets Treaty. Using phase technology to make herself invisible, she attacked her fellow Goa’uld, Cronus, framing Teal’c for the crime. Her deception was revealed and she was taken away through the Stargate by Cronus and Lord Yu for punishment, but not before Yu and Cronus agreed to the drop their demands that the Tauri stop using the Stargate, thereby allowing the treaty to be ratified (3.03 "Fair Game").
When Cassandra reached the age of 16, she fell ill with a disease implanted in all Hankan children by Nirrti. Cassandra insisted that she had to go back to Hanka, that something was drawing her there. Based on her feeling, SG-1 sought a cure by travelling to Hanka. While there they stumbled upon a ring transport that sent them to a laboratory on the Goa'uld goddess's abandoned spaceship. Still in possession of phase technology, Nirrti followed SG-1 as they returned to Earth. There, she attempted to see if her experiment on the last remaining Hankan child worked. When the Tau'ri realized that Nirrti might be amongst them, Cassie's adoptive and devoted mother, Dr. Janet Fraiser, took matters in her own hands to ensure that Nirrti cured her daughter, or else (5.06 "Rite of Passage").
Eventually, Nirrti met her end after discovering a machine, possibly of Ancient origin, that was capable of altering the DNA of anyone placed inside the device. Using Jonas Quinn as one of her subjects in her obsessive pursuit to develop an all-powerful host, Nirrti's experiments left her hapless victims in a dangerously unstable condition. Once the aliens in her service discovered her treachery, however, they killed her and were able to use the machine to restore everyone to their natural state (6.16 "Metamorphosis").
Episodes
Related Characters
Related Articles
- Asgard
- DNA Manipulation Device
- Goa'uld
- Hanka
- Hok'taur
- Naquadah
- Protected Planets Treaty
- Ring Transporter
- Stargate
Further Reading
Actor
--Mellenbal 08:55, 26 Sep 2004