Ardat-lilî

''Ardat-lilî'' ( Sumerian: ''kisikillilla'') is a type of female Ancient Mesopotamian demon. Cuneiform sources describe an ''ardat-lilî'' as the ghost of a young woman who died without experiencing sexual fulfillment or marriage, and as a result attempts to seduce young men. Evidence for ''ardat-lilî'' as a "family" of demons rather than a single individual includes multiple, varying origin stories for different cases of ''ardat-lilî'' spirits. Members of the category of ''líl-'' demons, they were considered subjects of Pazuzu. A text placing one or more ''ardat-lilî'' in the entourage of the god Erra is also known. Incantations against ''ardat-lilî'' are attested as early as in the Old Babylonian period.

Name

In addition to the standard form ''ardat-lilî'', the variant ''wardat-lilîm'' appears in Old Babylonian sources. The name can be translated as "girl of the wind" or "phantom bride". The second half is derived from the Akkadian word ''lilû'', a loanword from Sumerian LIL₂, which in turn depending on context can refer to winds, ghosts or demons. It is possible that through folk etymologies it additionally came to be connected with Akkadian ''lilâtu'', "night".

''Ardat-lilî'' was also known under the Sumerian term ''kisikillilla'' or ''kisikillillaenna''. However, Markham J. Geller notes that in bilingual incantations ''kisikillilla'' corresponds to a different demon, '' lilītu'', while ''ardat-lilî'' is translated to Sumerian ''kisikil-uddakarra'', "maiden who the storm demon chose". However, this convention is not followed in an Old Babylonian lexical list, where ''kisikil uddakarra'' is given as the Sumerian name of a different demon, ''pāšittum''. Despite phonetic similarities, the theonym Kilili is not related to ''kisikillila''.

Characterization

While demons were typically less well defined than deities in Mesopotamian beliefs, stresses that in the case of ''ardat-lilî'' it is nonetheless possible to speak of a "detailed, standardized set of motifs". Lorenzo Verderame notes that ardat-lilî was believed to have an "appealing" appearance, in contrast with other demons, who could be described as faceless, "ever-changing" (''uttakkarū'') or "strange" (''nakru'') They belonged to a class of supernatural beings designated by the root ''lil-''. It also included figures such as ''eṭel-lilî'' ("phantom bridegroom"), ''lilītu'' ("female phantom"), ''lilû'' ("male phantom") and possibly ''naššuqītu'' ("phantom kisser"). Additionally, Pazuzu was referred to as the king of the ''lil-''.

The ''lil-'' demons were believed to be the ghosts of young people who died sexually unfulfilled. Incantations focused on ''ardat-lilî'' accordingly describe them as beings who has never had sex, never got married and as a result had no family. One incantation states that while still alive, an ''ardat-lilî'' was unable to partake in a festival (''isinnu'') alongside other girls, which according to Julia Krul is most likely an allusion to a specific unidentified event which was focused on young women, as opposed to a general reference to religious celebrations. Stories of individual ardat-lilî include varying details such as “young girl who never had a husband”, “young girl who was snatched away from a husband, snatched away from a child”, “young woman who was never impregnated”, and “young girl who was driven from her father-in-law’s house” (Scurlock & Anderson, page 273).

''Ardat-lilî'' were believed to typically target young men, acting as a demonic seductress due to their grief and desolation. Their role can be compared to that of a succubus. In a number of cases, exorcism formulas prescribe a mock marriage as a solution to problems caused by them.

No evidence exists for any association between ''ardat-lilî'' and children.

Attestations

Incantations

Incantations dealing with ''ardat-lilî'' were already known in the Old Babylonian period. The standard texts are bilingual, with Sumerian and Akkadian versions of the same formula listed side by side. One of the early examples places one or more ardat-lilî in the entourage of Erra.

''Ardat-lilî'' is also mentioned in incantations from the series ''Udug Hul''. Markham J. Geller notes there is a degree of textual overlap between this corpus and independent ''ardat-lilî'' incantations. ''Ardat-lilî'' appears for example in a formula meant to prevent various demons from approaching their victims on tablet 6. However, on tablet 5 an ''ardat-lilî'' is herself described as a victim of another demon and is placed under the protection of Ishtar (contrast with a different ''ardat-lilî'' who is described as having been “mistreated by the ‘hand’ of Ishtar”). The incantation is instead aimed against the ''utukku'' and ''alû''.

''Ardat-lilî'' appears alongside ''lilû'' and '' lilītu'' in an incantation targeting ''mimma lemnu'', "any evil", a personification of a formula referring to any possible cause of harm which has befallen a person. Specific well known demons and illnesses are singled out as possible sources, but the cause ultimately remains undefined. The formula was originally written in the seventh century by Nabû-kabti-aḫḫēšu, an exorcist from the temple of Ashur in Assur. Later copies have been discovered during excavations of Uruk and Babylon as well.

References to ''ardat-lilî'' have also been identified in medical incantations. An illness called the "''hand of ardat-lilî''" (''qāt ardat lilî'') is known from multiple sources. In the ''Assur Medical Catalogue'', it is described as the cause of ''la’bu'', which has been variously interpreted as a skin disease, a type of fever, psychiatric and neurological disorders, or as a reference to an unidentified bodily fluid.

Other genres of texts

An astrological text from Sultantepe indicates that the twelfth day of the month was believed to be particularly suitable for performing rituals meant to ward off ''ardat-lilî''.

Under the Sumerian term ''kisikillila'', ''ardat-lilî'' appears in the composition ''Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld''. It belonged to the curriculum of Old Babylonian scribal schools, and as a result is well documented in the archeological record, with seventy four copies recovered as of 2014. ''Kisikillila'' is described as one of the three beings Gilgamesh has to drive away from the ''ḫalub'' tree planted by Inanna. While part of the narrative was later translated into Akkadian and incorporated into the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', the section dealing with the ''ḫalub'' tree was not, possibly due to thematically overlapping with the myth of the cedar forest.

Disputed or disproved examples

In the past identification of the figure depicted on the Burney Relief as an ardat-lilî or lilītu has been proposed, but today it is considered implausible as it is unlikely a figure perceived negatively would be represented as a cultic image. In ancient Mesopotamia demons were not an object of cult, and it was believed they are incapable of heeding prayers of humans the way gods were supposed to. With the exception of first millennium BCE exorcist rituals which required the preparation of figures of demons such as Lamashtu, ''utukku'' or '' rābiṣu'', there is no evidence that demons known from exorcistic literature were depicted in Mesopotamian art. Such figures would generally be destroyed as a part of the ceremony.

While it has been suggested that a passage in the Old Babylonian hymn to Ishtar preserved on the tablet AO 6035 might refer to the eponymous deity as the mistress of ''ardat-lilî'' or another similarly named demon, Michael P. Streck and Nathan Wasserman conclude that the word ''līlu'', "evening", is meant instead.

Notes

References

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External links

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Gilgameš, Enkidu and the nether world
' in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Mesopotamian demons