In
Mesopotamian mythology
Mesopotamian mythology refers to the myths, religious texts, and other literature that comes from the region of ancient Mesopotamia which is a historical region of Western Asia, situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system that occupies ...
, Lamashtu (;
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to:
* Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire
* Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language
* Akkadian literature, literature in this language
* Akkadian cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...
d''La-maš-tu'';
Sumerian ''Dimme''
d''Dim
3-me'' or ''Kamadme'') was a female
demon, monster, malevolent goddess or demigoddess who menaced women during
childbirth
Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births glob ...
and, if possible, kidnapped their children while they were
breastfeeding
Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that br ...
. She would gnaw on their bones and suck their blood, as well as being charged with a number of other evil deeds. She was a daughter of the Sky God
Anu.
Lamashtu is depicted as a
mythological hybrid
Hybrid beasts are creatures composed of parts from different animals, including humans, appearing in the folklore of a variety of cultures as legendary creatures.
In burial sites
Remains similar to those of mythological hybrids have been found ...
, with a hairy body, a
lioness' head with
donkey's teeth and ears, long fingers and fingernails, and the feet of a
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
with sharp
talons
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...
. She is often shown standing or kneeling on a donkey, nursing a
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
and a
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
, and holding
snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
s. She thus bears some functions and resemblance to the demon
Lilith
Lilith ( ; he, לִילִית, Līlīṯ) is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology, alternatively the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Ed ...
in
Jewish mythology
Jewish mythology is the body of myths associated with Judaism. Elements of Jewish mythology have had a profound influence on Christian mythology and on Islamic mythology, as well as on world culture in general. Christian mythology directly in ...
.
Mythology
Lamashtu's father was the Sky God
Anu. Unlike many other usual demonic figures and depictions in
Mesopotamian lore, Lamashtu was said to act in malevolence of her own accord, rather than at the gods' instructions. Along with this her name was written together with the
cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sh ...
determinative
A determinative, also known as a taxogram or semagram, is an ideogram used to mark semantic categories of words in logographic scripts which helps to disambiguate interpretation. They have no direct counterpart in spoken language, though they may ...
indicating deity. This means she was a goddess or a demigoddess in her own right.
She bore seven names and was described as seven witches in incantations. Her evil deeds included (but were not limited to): slaying children, unborns, and
neonate
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
s; causing harm to mothers and expectant mothers; eating men and drinking their blood; disturbing sleep; bringing nightmares; killing foliage; infesting rivers and lakes; and being a bringer of disease, sickness, and death.
[
]Pazuzu
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu ( akk, , translit=pà.zu.zu; also called Fazuzu or Pazuza) was a personification of the southwestern wind, and held kingship over the lilu wind demons.
As an apotropaic entity, he was considered as bo ...
, a god or demon, was invoked to protect birthing mothers and infants against Lamashtu's malevolence, usually on amulets and statues. Although Pazuzu was said to be bringer of famine and drought, he was also invoked against evil for protection, and against plague, but he was primarily and popularly invoked against his fierce, malicious rival Lamashtu.
Incantation against Lamaštu:
In another incantation against her, she appears to be identified with Inanna:
In modern culture
* Lamashtu is a demon lord and the goddess of monsters, called the Mother of Beasts and Mistress of Insanity, in the role-playing game setting ''Pathfinder
Pathfinder may refer to:
Businesses
* Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International
* Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature
Computing and information science
* Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser
* Pathfinder ( ...
''.
* Lamashtu appears as a character in the NBC television series ''Constantine'' in the episode "The Saint of Last Resorts".
* Lamashtu is the title of a 2015 audiobook by Paul E Cooley
Paul Elard Cooley is an American contemporary speculative fiction writer, prolific podcaster and Systems Administrator from Houston, Texas.
Life and work
Cooley has been writing since the age of 12. In 2009, he began producing free psychologica ...
.
* Lamashtu appears as an antagonist in the 2018 novel "On Devil's Wings" by M. J. Meade.
* Lamashtu appears as the antagonist in the 2017 film ''Still/Born
''Still/Born'' is a 2017 Canadian psychological horror film directed and co-written by Brandon Christensen and starring Christie Burke and Jesse Moss. It premiered on April 29, 2017 at the Overlook Film Festival and received generally positive r ...
''.
* The song "lamashtu" by Necrophobic on their 2018 album "Mark of the Necrogram" is named for Lamashtu.
* Lamashtu is depicted on the Ankaran Sarcophagus in the videogame '' Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines''.
* Lamashtu appears in the book "Sebitti - Mesopotamian Magick & Demonology" by Michael W. Ford.
* The 2020 album "Scourge of Lamashtu" by Black Funeral is themed after Lamashtu.
* Lamashtu appears a secondary protagonist in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim mod "Clockwork" by Nexusmods user Antistar
Ritual
An Akkadian incantation and ritual against Lamashtu is edited in ''Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments'' vol. 2 (1988)
It is glossed as an "incantation to dispel lasting fever and Lamashtu".
The prescribed ritual involves a Lamashtu figurine. A sacrifice of bread must be placed before the figurine and water must be poured over it. A black dog must be made to carry the figurine. Then it is placed near the head of the sick child for three days, with the heart of a piglet placed in its mouth. The incantation must be recited three times a day, besides further food sacrifices. At dusk on the third day, the figurine is taken outdoors and buried near the wall.
File:Lamashtu plaque 9167.jpg, Lamashtu plaque held by Pazuzu
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu ( akk, , translit=pà.zu.zu; also called Fazuzu or Pazuza) was a personification of the southwestern wind, and held kingship over the lilu wind demons.
As an apotropaic entity, he was considered as bo ...
File:Lamashtu plaque 9163.jpg, Close-up of plaque's top register (sculpture), register
File:Lamashtu plaque 9165.jpg, Close-up of plaque's bottom register
File:Lamashtu plaque h9174.jpg, Lamashtu plaque
File:Bronze plate, several Mesopotamian deities or creatures ward off evil spirits. From Iraq. 9th-7th century BCE. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul.jpg, Bronze plate, several Mesopotamian deities ward off evil spirits. From northern Iraq. 9th-7th century BCE. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul
See also
*Abyzou
In the myth and folklore of the Near East and Europe, Abyzou is the name of a female demon. Abyzou was blamed for miscarriages and infant mortality and was said to be motivated by envy ( el, φθόνος ''phthonos''), as she herself was infertile. ...
*Akhkhazu
Akhkhazu is a female demon from the Akkadic mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a stor ...
*Alû
In Akkadian and Sumerian mythology, Alû is a vengeful spirit of the Utukku that goes down to the underworld Kur. The demon has no mouth, lips or ears. It roams at night and terrifies people while they sleep, it is also believed that the alû ...
*Lamia
LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...
*Lilin
Lilin () were hostile night spirits that attacked men in ancient Mesopotamian religion and Jewish folklore.
Judaism
In Jewish mythology, ''Lilin'' is a term for night spirits.
Biblical apocrypha
In the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, ''lilin'' ...
*Lilith
Lilith ( ; he, לִילִית, Līlīṯ) is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology, alternatively the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Ed ...
*Shedim
''Shedim'' ( he, שֵׁדִים; singular: ''Shed'') are spirits or demons in the Tanakh and Jewish mythology. However, they are not necessarily equivalent to the modern connotation of demons as evil entities. Evil spirits were thought as the ...
*Utukku
The udug (), later known in Akkadian as the utukku, were an ambiguous class of demons from ancient Mesopotamian mythology who were sometimes thought of as good and sometimes as evil. In exorcism texts, the "good udug" is sometimes invoked agai ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Mesopotamian goddesses
Mesopotamian demons
Mythological hybrids
Mythological hematophages
Female legendary creatures
Snake goddesses
Evil deities
Mesopotamian underworld
Mythological cannibals
Donkey deities