The flexibility of demons and monsters in Mesopotamia: Good or Bad

Kwo Mun Wong (1006147484)

CLAA05
11/10/23

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Abstract
This essay explores the fluidity of demons and monsters in Mesopotamia. They are flexible and

can serve different purposes. The study looks at ancient texts, religious writings, and art to

understand how people in Mesopotamia saw these supernatural beings. Unlike monotheistic

religions where demons are always seen as evil, Mesopotamian demons were more neutral and

could be used for protection. The essay explores this topic through the lens of Pazuzu, a demon

with both destructive and protective qualities, showing the complexity of these beings. I also

examine the Udug demon, which could be both malevolent and benevolent, depending on the

situation. The flexibility of demons in Mesopotamia might be connected to how kings and

exorcists in power used them to show their strength and they are apotropaic because they contain

great power that is feared by people but power itself is neutral which could be used for

protection. Overall, the study challenges the idea that demons were simply good or evil in

Mesopotamian culture.

Introduction
Demons and monsters are important supernatural beings in Mesopotamia. They could be

formless, a manifestation of plagues and diseases or natural disasters, ghosts or spirits,

representation of a dangerous location (Wiggerman 2011). The study of these supernatural beings

draws from a rich variety of sources, including ancient texts, religious scriptures, works of art,

sculptures, statues, and incantation texts. Incantation texts are performed by āšipu for exorcism,

protection and healing purposes, demons and monsters are frequently mentioned in these texts.

These sources offer a glimpse into the complex world of demons, monsters, and spirits,

providing insight into how these entities were perceived and feared, as seen in the statues of

Pazuzu. Demons and monsters interact with heroes and gods, like the demon Pazuzu, which Enlil

summons to bring storms in order to wipe humans in Atrahasis. They might once be gods like
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Lamashtu, an infamous female demon that preys on infants. In Verderame (2015), she is

described as the daughter of Anu and a divine goddess in the incantation series and was later

punished by Anu because of her evil acts, becoming a demon. Unlike other cultures, there is no

clear distinction between gods, monsters, and demons. The power of demons is not comparable

to the main gods like Anu but they have important functions, like protection from other demons,

even representing gods command in the absence of gods (Wiggermann 2007). Moreover,

scholars who studies monsters and demons have categorized Tiamat the mother of all gods as a

monster (Sonik 2010). These complications make differentiating between gods, demons, and

monsters inherently difficult. Thus, it is important to define what is a demon while

acknowledging its complications. The word demon is derived from the Greek word daimon

which is defined as a being with no form and shape and could be good or bad. At first glance,

this definition has no flaws, but Konstantopoulos (2015) suggested that the word daimon fails to

capture properties of the Mesopotamian demons, like their role as vectors of diseases and some

with distinctive appearances that contradicts the words definition. Moreover, using a non-native

word risk distorting the indigenous views of the period. In this paper, demons and monsters are

defined as beings that represent chaos, creatures that deviate from the norm yet share similar

qualities (Konstantopoulos 2015). This definition is not perfect but acknowledges complications

and problems previously mentioned.

Demons in Mesopotamia are neutral and flexible, unlike monotheistic religions like Christianity

and Judaism which demons represents evil. Interestingly, Different sources depict the same

demon oppositely. They could be benevolent or malevolent towards humans. They might control

great power while harming or protecting people is merely a side effect not its intention.

Akkadians and Sumerians text might differ, introducing difficulties when describing the demons.

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A Neo-Assyrian figurine inscription was translated by Oates (1960), “depart, evil spirit! Enter,

spirit of peace!” shows that people recognized demons as either good or bad but in reality, the

characteristics and functions of the demon shift over time and could be manipulated through text

in order to fit the narrative of the “story”.

Pazuzu

Demons are not commonly portrayed in art, as the Mesopotamians think that it is dangerous.

Pazuzu is an underworld demon with dangerous wind powers. He is depicted as a combination of

human and animals, with claws, four wings, clawed hands and a snake-headed penis

(Niederreiter 2017). Pazuzu made his appearance in the iron age, with amulets and figures traced

back to 8th century BCE and textual evidence back to 7 th Century BCE (Maiden 2018). His

background could be found in the following amulet incantation (Foster, 2005, Wiggermann,

2007).

I am Pazuzu, son of Hanbu, king of the evil wind-demons.

I ascended the mighty mountain that quaked.

The winds that I went against were headed toward the west.

One by one I broke their wings.

The Sumerian word “hul” is used which translates to evil, bad or damaged, a clear representation

of malevolence.

Another incantation vividly describes the malevolent side of Pazuzu (Maiden 2018).

Agony of mankind, disease of mankind, suffering of mankind.

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 Do not enter the house I enter, do not come near the house I come near, do not approach

the house I approach!

Interestingly, the main function of Pazuzu is protection despite its possession of destructive

power and fierce, demonic appearance. This showcases the complex and flexible nature of

demons. Pazuzu is frequently mentioned in rituals, spells and incantations performed by the

āšipu. These incantations are mainly to counter Lamashtu, an demoness that preys on infants and

feared among pregnant women. Figurines of Lamashtu are inflicted with incantations, spells and

buried outside the city walls, it was believed that Pazuzu can force Lamashtu back to the

underworld (Konstantopoulos, 2020). Pregnant women may also wear amulets of Pazuzu heads

to protect their unborn child from other demons. There is evidence that Clay molds of Pazuzu

heads are mass produced and is widely used as a personal protective amulet against not only

Lamashtu but a wide range of demons and diseases (Heeßel, 2011). It is difficult to frame Pazuzu

as good or evil. Konstantopoulos (2015) suggests that Pazuzu in essence is evil, although his

power could be redirected for protection. He stressed that there is a difference between a

benevolent entity and a apotropaic demon, the protection is a side-effect of his aggression

towards Lamashtu, his intention is not protecting humans (Konstantopoulos, 2015). This can be

seen in other incantations in which Ugallu and Lulal are present. They are good guardians and

only appear for protection. The appearance of them in Pazuzu’s protective amulets might serves

as a means to control Pazuzu’s power, to ensure Pazuzu’s power is directed against the evil not

harming humans (Heeßel, 2011). This shows that Pazuzu is evil and feared by humans but in a

broader sense malevolent and wanted by humans for protection, highlighting the complexity and

the fluidity of demons, which makes it difficult to deem him as good or evil.

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The benevolent evil Udug

The Udug demon is one of the most vaguely defined demons in Mesopotamia. It is described as a

formless, nameless demon in an incantation text called the Udug Hul, which means the “Evil

Demons” (Konstantopoulos, 2015). The practice of Udug Hul incantations holds a venerable

legacy throughout the entire expanse of ancient Mesopotamian history, representing some of the

earliest extant Sumerian texts from the third millennium BCE. In Udug Hul, Udug has terrifying

qualities including poison and a powerful battle cry. “It always hides, taking refuge, it does not

stand proudly” vividly describes Udug’s dark personality (Konstantopoulos, 2017). The duality

of Udug might be partly due to its generality, the term is used to refer to a single demon or a

group of demons (Konstantopoulos, 2015). This is seen in one incantation form Nimrud, in

which Udug act as a prefix to describe each demon such as Udug-hul, Udug hur-saĝ-ĝa, udug

urugal-la-ke (Konstantopoulos, 2015). This complexity might contribute to the malleable nature

of Udug.

The good Udug appears in a variety of incantations and literary texts. It is usually used by āšipu

to protect the exorcist himself and to fight off evil demons. The most intriguing part of Udug is

that good Udug is being used to fight off the evil Udug in the same incantations. This is seen in

Tonietti (1979).

The evil udug, evil ala, evil ghost, evil galla,

Lamashtu, Labaṣu,

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 Evil man, evil eye, evil mouth, evil tongue—

They [all] will stand aside!

The benevolent udug and benevolent lama will stand attendant!

Also, in Konstantopoulos (2015).

So that the evil udug may not enter the house,

May the evil udug that seized her stand aside!

May the good udug and the good lama stand

Both the evil Udug and good Udug appear simultaneously. The immediate question arises, is the

evil Udug and the good Udug different entities? Konstantopolous (2015) suggested that there is

no evidence that they are different demons, the power of the Udug is being used by the exorcist

to fight off other demons including its evil self. Moreover, the good Udug is always paired with

the benevolent lama or other protective demons. Lama is a benevolent demon that aids āšipu

during incantations and spells and it is believed that Lama act as guide to Udug, to control the

power of it for exorcism, Similar to Pazuzu and Ugallu and Lulal. Interestingly, when

incantations or the story requires an evil Udug, the always benevolent Lama would also act

malevolently (Konstantopolous, 2015).

The conclusions drawn about the Udug, while not without uncertainties, consistently emphasize

its inherently malevolent nature. As there is more evidence on its malevolence than benevolence.

Even when referring to a group of demons, the entities falling within the Udug category are

uniformly malevolent. In the context of incantations, the Udug poses a direct threat to humanity,

necessitating the intervention of the āšipu to counteract its harm. Incantations do not provide

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detailed origins for the Udug, and it operates independently of any major deity. Much like the

term itself, the essence of the Udug appears to be characterized by chaotic malignancy,

exhibiting benevolence only when associated with the lama, a clear display of the fluidity of

demons and monsters. In short, The flexibility of Udug might be due to its vaguely defined

nature and to display the power of those who can control them.

Conclusion

The flexibility of demons in general could be partly explained by the display power of those who

control them, thus the text could be manipulated to fit any narrative. When a demon is powerful,

fierce, unpredictable. Those that could control them like the āšipu or even kings gain great power

and faith from their people. Just like how the Power of Pazuzu and Udug can be used to ward off

evil but they themselves are portrayed as evil demons that destroy humans. Their evil is required

to show the power of those who control them. Moreover, Mesopotamian incantations often

require a good demon paired with an evil demon and it is not uncommon to see roles switch in

order to fit the narrative, like Udug and Lama. Ultimately, the characteristics, flexibility of

demons and monsters are closely connected to the complexities of incantations and the beliefs in

Mesopotamia that influence the demon’s creation and function.

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