Neti is the chief gatekeeper of Kur. He is a lesser-known god, whose primary role is to guard the entrance to the realm of the dead. Neti’s most notable appearance is in the myth of “Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld,” where he is encountered by the goddess Inanna as she attempts to enter the realm of the dead.
Ereshkigal instructs Neti to let Inanna pass into the underworld but tells him to strip her of her royal garments at each of the seven gates she must pass through. This act of disrobing is symbolic, stripping Inanna’s of her power and authority as she descends deeper into the underworld. By the time Inanna reaches Ereshkigal, she is naked and powerless, which leads to her death.
When Neti tried the same trick on Nergal, this endeavor proved to be less successful.