Lahmu
| Lahmu | |
|---|---|
 Lahmu, the protective spirit from Nineveh, 900-612 BCE, Mesopotamia. British Museum. | |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Abzu and Tiamat (Enuma Elish) or Anu's ancestors such as Dari and Duri (Anu theogony) |
| Consort | his sister Lahamu (Enuma Elish) |
| Children | Anshar and Kishar (Enuma Elish) or Alala and Belili (Anu theogony) |
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| Ancient Mesopotamian religion |
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Laḫmu (
Iconography and character
Laḫmu is depicted as a bearded man wearing a red garment (tillû)[2] and usually with six curls on his head.[3] Some texts mention a spade as the attribute of Lahmu.[4] The artistic representations are sometimes called "naked hero" in literature.[5]
Lahmu were associated with water. They were generally believed to be servants of
Apotropaic creatures such as Lahmu weren't regarded as demonic, and in fact protected the household from demons, though myths may depict them as defeated and subsequently reformed enemies of the gods. At the same time, they weren't viewed as fully divine, as their names were rarely, if ever, preceded by the dingir sign ("divine determinative") and they do not wear horned tiaras (a symbol of divinity) in art.[7]
In apotropaic rituals, Lahmu was associated with other monsters, for example
As a cosmological being
In god lists a singular Lahmu sometimes appears among the ancestors of
In
A fragmentary Assyrian rewrite of Enuma Elish replaced Marduk with
Disproven theories
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2021) |
19th and early 20th century authors asserted that Lahmu represents the zodiac, parent stars, or constellations.[16][17]
References
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 164-165
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 54
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. xiii
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 49; 86
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. xi
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 164-166
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 165
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 143-145
- W. G. Lambert, Babylonian Creation Myths, 2013, p. 424
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 154-155
- W. G. Lambert, Theogony of Dunnu[in:] Babylonian Creation Myths, 2013, p. 389: "The history of these two [theogonies] shows that steps were sometimes taken quite specifically to avoid the implication of incest, which was socially taboo."
- W. G. Lambert, Babylonian Creation Myths, 2013, p. 417
- W. G. Lambert, Babylonian Creation Myths, 2013, p. 119
- ^ F. Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, 1992, p. 145-150
- W. G. Lambert, Babylonian Creation Myths, 2013, p. 4-5
- ^ Hewitt, J.F. History and Chronology of the Myth-Making Age. p. 85.
- ^ W. King, Leonard. Enuma Elish Vol 1 & 2: The Seven Tablets of Creation; The Babylonian and Assyrian Legends Concerning the Creation of the World and of Mankind. p. 78.
Sources
- Michael Jordan, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002
- Black, Jeremy and Green, Anthony, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, University of Texas Press, Austin, 2003.