Pazuzu

This Assyrian bronze statuette of Pazuzu is 15cm in height, from the early 1st millennium BC, held at the Louvre.[1]

In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu (Akkadian: 𒀭𒅆𒊒𒍪𒍪, romanized: pà.zu.zu)[2] is a personification of the southwestern wind, and held kingship over the lilu wind demons.

As an apotropaic entity, he is considered as both a destructive and dangerous wind, but also as a repellant to other demons, one who safeguards the home from their influence. In particular he protects pregnant women and mothers, whom he could defend from the machinations of the demoness Lamashtu, his rival. He is invoked in ritual and representations of him are used as defence charms.

Hanpu is his father. He has connections to other wind deities such as Lamashtu and the Lilû demons, other protective demons, and the foreign Egyptian dwarf deity Bes.

  1. ^ Simon, Ed (2022-02-22). "Chapter 1". Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology. Abrams. ISBN 978-1-64700-389-0.
  2. ^ Lambert, Wilfred George (1970). "Inscribed Pazuzu Heads from Babylon". Forschungen und Berichte. 12: 41–T4. doi:10.2307/3880639. JSTOR 3880639.

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