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psyentifically-minded · 5 years

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There are many monsters and spirits featured in the Sumerian mythology they are as follows:

Abyzou: Abyzou is a female demon and was said to cause miscarriages she was thought to be motivated by envy being unable to reproduce for herself. Abyzou is thought to be the root word for the later Greek word for “Abyss” and she is often depicted as part fish or serpent, she is one of the mythologies that was woven into the Semitic demoness Lilith in later history.

Akhkhazu: Akhkhazu is also called the “seizer” and is a female demon that brings plague and fevers she is a member of a trio of demonesses including Labasu and Labartu, she may also be related to the concept of Lilith and her sisters the angels of sacred prostitution who act as consorts to the demon prince Samael in later Semitic theology/demonology.

Anzu: Anzu (depicted left being chased by the storm God Marduk) is a monsterous storm bird related to the Zu bird and was concieved of a union between the primordial fresh water God Abzu and the wide earth or as the son of Siris. Anzu is thus one of the primordial monsters that existed during the war of the Gods and Tiamat/Nammu. Anzu was able to breath fire and water and in one myth graunts super speed to a hero. The demon was depicted as a griffin being half eagle and half lion, Anzu was said to have stolen the Tablets of Destiny from Marduk and the Gods were then ordered by the sky God Anu to retrieve them. In one myth Anzu is slain by Marduk while in another it is Ninurta who kills the beast.

Assaku: Assaku demons attack and kill humans especially by means of head fevers they are mentioned in poetical sources describing numerous diseases.

Asag: Asag is a monsterous Gallu demon of plague and was so hideous that his presence alone makes fish boil alive in the rivers. He was accompanied into battle by an army of rock demons, offspring of his union with the mountains. Asag was vanquished by Ninurta armed with a weapon called Sharur.

Basmu: Basmu is a venomous snake with horns, two-forelegs and wings making it resemble a wyvern. Originally created by Tiamat/Nammu the Basu was said to have six mouths, seven tongues and seven *untranslated?* on its crest. It is one of the eleven warriors slain by the war God Ninurta. Basmu may have been a hydra and is even identified with the constellation of hydra in later Babylonian astrology.

Girtablilu: The Girtablilu (depicted central) were half scorpion and half man, they were the guardians of the gates to the underworld on the mountain of Mashu that belongs to the sun God Shamash. The Girtablilu were fierce warriors and warned travelers of the dangers that lay beyond their post in the underworld of Irkalla. The Girtablilu were said to open the gates of the underworld to let Shamash out each day and to open them to let Shamash in each night as the sun rose and set. The Girtablilu were created by Tiamat/Nammu in the war against the Gods. Girtablilu were said to be able to kill with a stare, it is unclear wether these archers used bows or launched venomous spines however they are always depicted with bow weapons.

Gud-alim: Known as the “battle-bison-beast” Gud-alim was one of the heros slaun by Ninurta. Gud-alims body was hung from Ninurtas chariot as a trophy after it was killed.

Humbaba: Humbaba was a giant ogre who was raised by the sun God Utu, Humbaba was charged with protecting the cedar forest where the Gods lived by Enlil and was named “terror of mankind”. Humbaba is described as lion faced with a gaze like death, he is able to breath fire and water, he has paws of a lion and a body covered in thorny scales with feet like the feet of a bird and horns like a bull his tail and phallus both ended with the head of a snake. Humbaba was slain by the heros Gilgamesh and Enkidu, when Humbaba was slain the sky God Enlil distributed Humbaba’s seven auras into nature, Enlil was displeased with the death of the guardian but did not punish the heros for the transgression.

Kuli-ana: Kuli-ana (depicted right) was a mermaid hero killed by Ninurta who hung Kuli-ana’s corpse from his chariot as a trophy.

Kulullu: Kulullu had the head, arms and torso of a human and the lower body and tail of fishes, they are thus the first recorded mermaids/merfolk and were spawned by Tiamat/Nammu in her war against the Gods.

Kur: Kur is the first dragon whose name means “mountain” it also came to mean “land” and is synonymous with the Mesopotamian underworld. Kur was spawned by Tiamat/Nammu in her war against the Gods. When Kur was killed its death caused a great flood. Kur was a flying winged dragon capable of spitting fire.

Kusarikku: Another creature spawned by Tiamat/Nammu and slain by Ninurta. The Kusarikku was half man and half bison its hind parts were that of a bison however it had the torso, arms and head of a man meaning that it resembled a centaur.

Labartu: Labartu was a female demon, monster or malevolent Goddess or demi-goddess who menaced women during childbirth and if possible kidnapped their children while they were being breastfed. Labartu was said to gnaw on infants bones and suck their blood as well as being charged with other evil deeds. Labartu was a daughter of the sky God Anu. Labartu is depicted as a mythological hybrid, hairy with a lioness’s head and a donkeys ears and teeth she had long fingers and fingernails and the feet of a bird with sharp talons. She is usually depicted standing or kneeling on a donkey, nursing a pig and a dog and holding snakes. She would later be fused into the Semitic concept of Lilith with other Sumerian demonesses and Goddesses and was part of a trio of demonesses along with her sisters Akhkhazu and Labasu.

Labasu: Labasu is a demon of disease similar to her sister Labartu, she was part of a trio of demonesses including Labartu and Akhkhazu that would later inspire the Semitic concept of Lilith.

Labbu: Labbu was a lion-serpent sea dragon which was slain by the warrior God Tishpak with an arrow. Labbu was said to be drawn by Enlil across the sky which was seen as a bad omen to the Gods, this could indicate Labbu was a comet or other astral event.

Mus-Sag Seven: Mus-sag seven was a hydra, a seven headed snake killed by Ninurta it may also be synonymous with the Basmu.

Mushussu: The Mushussu is depicted on the gate of Ishtar alongside other real animals, its depiction has changed little over many centuries leading some scholars to speculate that it might have actually existed. The Mushussu was depicted as a scaly dragon with hind legs resembling the talons of ab eagle, feline fore-legs, a long neck and tail, a horned head, a snake-like forked tongue and a crest. The word “Mushussu” translates to “Redish Serpent”.

Musmahhu: Described as a lion-snake-eagle hybrid the Musmahhu is one of three horned snakes in Mesopotamian mythology alongside Basmu and Usumgallu which are all commonly identified with the seven headed snake slain by Ninurta (Mus-sag Seven). The Musmahhu is an offspring of Tiamat/Nammu it had sharp teeth, poison blood and seven mouths.

Palm-Tree-King: The palm tree king is subservient to Anzu and is the only one of the heros who fought Ninurta that escaped alive. Little is known about this figure and no description is given.

Ugallu: Ugallu is the “Big weather beast” and was a lion-headed, human-bodied and bird-footed storm demon. Ugallu were spawned by Tiamat/Nammu and were known to carry a dagger and a mace, after the death of Tiamat/Nammu the Ugallu were commanded to help construct the world from her corpse. They were subservient to the underworld war God, Nergal.

Umu Dabrutu: Meaning “Violent storms” the Umu Dabrutu were a race of demons spawned from Tiamat/Nammu, they carried fierce weaponry and were keen on fighting. The Umu Dabrutu were defeated and turned into protective amulets by Marduk who smashed their weapons and bound them to his feet.

Uridimmu: Uridimmu was a human headed lion depicted as holding a staff with a crescent on its top, he also wore a horned crown, his name means “Raging Lion”.

Ushum: Ushum was a dragon spawned by Tiamat/Nammu that was one of the heros slain by Ninurta.

Usumgallu: Usumgallu means “Great Dragon” they were hybrid of lions and dragons (similar to later French Tarasque’s) spawned by Tiamat/Nammu.

Seg-sag Six: Seg-sag Six means “six headed ram” it was a monster spawned by Tiamat/Nammu and was one of the heros slain by the war God Ninurta.

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