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 occupie ...

, Lamashtu (; Akkadian ^d''La-maš-tu''; Sumerian ''Dimme'' ^d''Dim₃-me'' or ''Kamadme'') is a demonic

Mesopotamian Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...

deity with the "head of a lion, the teeth of a donkey, naked breasts, a hairy body, hands stained (with blood?), long fingers and fingernails, and the feet of

Anzû Anzû, also known as dZû and Imdugud ( Sumerian: '' ''), is a demon in several Mesopotamian religions. He was conceived by the cosmic freshwater ocean '' Abzu'' and mother Earth ''Mami'', or as son of Siris. In Babylonian myths Anzû was depi ...

". She was believed to feed on the blood of human infants and was widely blamed as the cause of

miscarriages Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation i ...

and cot deaths. Although Lamashtu has traditionally been identified as a demoness, the fact that she could cause evil on her own without the permission of other deities strongly indicates that she was seen as a goddess in her own right. Mesopotamian peoples protected against her using

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

s and

talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

s. She was believed to ride in her boat on the river of the underworld and she was associated with donkeys. She was believed to be the daughter of An.

In Mesopotamian culture

Lamashtu's father was the Sky god Anu. Unlike many other usual demonic figures and depictions in

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 Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...

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 ...

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 In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

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 () is a demonic deity who was well known to the Babylonians and Assyrians throughout the first millennium BCE. He is shown with "a rather canine face with abnormally bulging eyes, a scaly body, a snake-h ...

, 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 Lamashtu: In another incantation against her, she appears to be identified with

Inanna Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...

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 A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

setting ''

Pathfinder Pathfinder, Path Finder or Pathfinders may refer to: Aerospace * ''Mars Pathfinder'', a NASA Mars Lander * NASA Pathfinder, a high-altitude, solar-powered uncrewed aircraft * Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder'', a Space Shuttle test simulator Arts and ...

''. * Lamashtu is the title of a 2015 audiobook by Paul E Cooley. * Lamashtu appears as the antagonist in the 2017 film '' Still/Born''. * The song "lamashtu" by

Necrophobic Necrophobic is a Swedish blackened death metal band. History The band was formed in 1989 by drummer Joakim Sterner and now-deceased guitarist David Parland. It is believed that the band named themselves after a Slayer song from the 1986 semin ...

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 as the demon who possesses two young girls in '' The Exorcist: Believer''. * Lamashtu is worshipped in the 2022 Spanish horror film ''

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

''. * Lamashtu is summoned in a 2025

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

sketch featuring

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

. * In

Constantine (TV series) ''Constantine'' (stylized as Cons♰antįne) is an American occult detective drama television series developed by Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer that aired for one season on NBC, it premiered on October 24, 2014 and concluded on February ...

directed by

Daniel Cerone Daniel Cerone is a television writer and executive producer. His credits include '' Dexter'', where he served as showrunner, along with '' The Blacklist'', '' The Mentalist'', '' Dirty Sexy Money'' and '' Charmed''. He was the co-creator of '' Con ...

and

David S. Goyer David Samuel Goyer (born December 22, 1965) is an American filmmaker, novelist, and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays and stories for several superhero films, including '' Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (1998), t ...

Lamashtu appeared in the 8th Episode ("The Saint of Last Resorts"). In that episode protagonist John Constantine invoked

to fight against it. The episode was written by

Carly Wray Carly Ann Wray is an American television writer and producer. She is known for her writing on the AMC drama ''Mad Men'' and '' The Leftovers'' on HBO. She won a Writers Guild of America Award for Dramatic Series for ''Mad Men'' in 2016, and was ...

and directed by T. J. Scott.

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

File:Lamashtu plaque 9163.jpg, Close-up of plaque's top

register Register or registration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), ...

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

References

Sources

External links