View source for Pazuzu

{{Short description|Mesopotamian demon}}
{{About|the Assyro-Babylonian god Pazuzu|other uses|Pazuzu (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2020}}
[[File:PazuzuDemonAssyria1stMil 2.jpg|thumb|This [[Assyria]]n bronze statuette of Pazuzu is {{convert|15|cm|0|abbr=in}} in height, from the early 1st millennium BC, held at the [[Louvre|Louvre Museum]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Simon |first=Ed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gahEEAAAQBAJ |title=Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology |date=2022-02-22 |publisher=Abrams |isbn=978-1-64700-389-0 |language=en |chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref>]]
{{Mesopotamian myth|expanded=5}}
In [[ancient Mesopotamian religion]], '''Pazuzu''' ({{langx|akk|{{cuneiform|[[𒀭]]𒅆𒊒𒍪𒍪}}|translit=pà.zu.zu}})<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lambert|first=Wilfred George|date=1970|title=Inscribed Pazuzu Heads from Babylon|jstor=3880639|journal=Forschungen und Berichte|volume=12|pages=41–T4|doi=10.2307/3880639}}</ref> is a demonic deity who was well known to the Babylonians and Assyrians throughout the first millennium BCE.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=147}} He is shown with "a rather canine face with abnormally bulging eyes, a scaly body, a snake-headed penis, the talons of a bird and usually wings".{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=147}} He was believed to be the son of the god [[Hanbi]].{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=148}} 

He was usually regarded as evil,{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=147}} but he could also sometimes be a beneficent entity who protected against winds bearing pestilence{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=147}} and he was thought to be able to force the demoness [[Lamashtu]], his rival, back to the underworld.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|pages=147–148}} Amulets bearing his image were positioned in dwellings to protect infants from Lamashtu{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=148}} and pregnant women frequently wore amulets with his head on them as protection from her.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=148}}

As an [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic]] entity, he is considered as both a personification of a destructive and dangerous wind, but also as a repellant to other demons, one who safeguards the home from their influence. In particular he protects pregnant women and mothers, whom he could defend from the machinations of Lamashtu. He is invoked in ritual and representations of him are used as defence charms.

==Function==
Pazuzu has two chief aspects: firstly as a domestic spirit{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}} wherein he is frequently portrayed as benevolent, and secondly as the wandering wind demon{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}} traversing the mountains wherein he presents a wilder character.

===Pazuzu as domestic protector deity===
There is a well documented use of Pazuzu in Mesopotamian [[white magic]].{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}} His inhuman and grotesque form can be inferred to{{Vague|reason=Borders on weasel words. This requires a higher modality, ideally with a citation provided.|date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}}} have been used to frighten away unwanted guests, as well as prevent his wind-demon subjects from entering the home and wreaking havoc.{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}} His role in magic and ritual is documented within inscriptions on the backs of his statues, or in ritual texts.{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=373}} Spells, incantations, and special artifacts were used to gain the favour and protection of the demon,{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=109}} such as artifacts being placed in and around the home or worn on the person to achieve the desired effect.

====Protective objects====
Large numbers of Pazuzu heads have been discovered, made from a variety of materials; chiefly [[terracotta]], but also bronze, iron, gold, glass, and bone.{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=99}} These heads often feature holes or loops at the top, allowing them to be worn on necklaces by pregnant women in order to protect the baby from evil forces.{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=100}} Occasionally, the heads would be attached to [[cylinder seals]] or worn as brooches as well.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=358}} Some of these heads have been found in graves.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=359}}

Carved amulets are common. Ritual texts from [[Uruk]] state that a woman could be given a bronze necklace or amulet of Pazuzu in order to protect her from miscarrying via the interference of Lamashtu.{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=374}} Some are rectangular and depict Pazuzu either standing or crouching.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=358}} Larger amulets made from stone could be hung on the wall to protect the room or an entrance.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=361}} One of this type of amulet that was found inside a home in the Neo-Assyrian town of [[Dur-Katlimmu]] was lying on the floor of the main reception room{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=361}} and was thought to have been hung on the wall facing the entryway.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=361}}

<gallery widths="200" heights="200" perrow="4">
File:British Museum Bronze head Pazuzu B 27072013.jpg|A [[bronze]] Pazuzu head, including a loop to be strung onto a necklace and worn as a protective charm.
File:Pazuzu amulet 108979.jpg|The front of a [[copper]] [[alloy]] Pazuzu amulet from the British Museum.
File:Pazuzu jaspe rouge AO 26056.jpg|A [[Jasper|red jasper]] carving of a squatting Pazuzu, the crouching posture suggesting his connection to the West Wind.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}}
File:Mesopotamian pendant with the head of Pazuzu.jpg|This bronze pendant features a suspension loop to ensure that the demon's gaze is always directed outward; for example, with the demon's [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic]] power directed, not at the amulet's owner, but at the owner's [[supernatural]] enemies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pendant with the head of Pazuzu |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327485?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=assyrian&offset=80&rpp=20&pos=91 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=www.metmuseum.org}}</ref>
</gallery>

Given the number of artifacts uncovered, it can be inferred that Pazuzu enjoyed great popularity,{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=359}} and the uniformity of the heads, amulets, and statues demonstrates that representations of the demon-god were mass-produced.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=358}}

====Ritual texts====
Relating to the representations of Pazuzu, text inscriptions on the backs of representations or on tablets would invoke or otherwise mention Pazuzu.

A ritual text from Assyria prescribes a Pazuzu head as a way to banish sickness.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=362}} Similarly, a ritual incantation against Lamastu from the Late Babylonian Period directs the reader to make a Pazuzu necklace and hang it around the afflicted person's neck.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=362}}

In the bilingual ([[Language|Sumerian]] and [[Language|Akkadian]]) version of the ''Compendia'', Pazuzu identifies himself:

"I am Pazuzu, son of Ḫanbu, king of the evil lilû-demons. I was enraged (in violent motion) against the strong mountains and ascended them."{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=273}}

Another text also narrated by him describes Pazuzu encountering other lilû demons in his travels, and breaking their wings, therefore preventing them from inflicting harm. "I ascended a mighty mountain that shook, and the (evil) winds I encountered there were heading West; One by one I broke their wings."{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=374}} In another text he is perceived as more malicious, as the narrator addresses him as "Agony of Mankind",{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=106}} "Suffering of Mankind",{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=106}} "Disease of Mankind",{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=106}} and chants telling the demon to not enter the home.{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=106}}

==Iconography==
According to Eckart Frahm's study, the appearance of Pazuzu has remained fairly uniform throughout his history.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=272}} Pazuzu is depicted as a combination of diverse animal and human parts. His body is of canine form, though scaled not furred,{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=88}} with birds' talons for feet, two pairs of wings, a [[scorpion]]'s tail and a serpentine penis.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=272}}  He holds his right hand up and his left hand down. His face is striking, with gazelle horns,{{sfn | Niederreiter | 2018}} human ears, a doglike muzzle, bulging eyes, and wrinkles on the cheeks.{{sfn | Niederreiter | 2018}}

==Demonic relationships==
===Parents and siblings===
His father is Hanpu, "The staggering one" or "The perverted one".{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=373}}

===Wind demons===
Lilû (wind) demons are the class to which Pazuzu and his subjects belong.{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}}

There is a connection to the earlier Babylonian personifications of [[The Four Winds (Mesopotamian)|The Four Winds]].{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} These beings, as depicted on several cylinder seals, have wings, and each represents a different wind direction; South, East, West, and North.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} Franz Wiggermann calls attention to the crooked positioning of the masculine West Wind{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} in seals, as similar to posture in Pazuzu's iconography.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} More connections appear in later seals, as this same bent-over figure takes on talons and a scorpion's tail.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} The main difference in their depictions is the head, thus Wiggerman concludes that it is Pazuzu's body and not his head that denotes him as a wind demon.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} Another scholar, Scott Noegel, asserts that Pazuzu's possession of four wings links to the term ''kippatu'', meaning  "circle, loop, circumference, and totality",{{sfn | Noegel | 2018}} suggesting his control over all cardinal directions of wind inherited from his predecessors.{{sfn | Noegel | 2018}}

===Lamastu===
The baby-snatching [[Lamastu]] was attested as both a subject of{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}} and an antagonist of Pazuzu. It is theorized that Pazuzu could have been created specifically as a counter to her. Initially she existed as an independent demoness, with no distinct connection to other demons.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} Then in the Late Bronze Age she took on the lilû demon classification, thus Pazuzu was introduced as a way to chase her from the home and back into the underworld.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} It does also seem to be that Pazuzu's first appearances and Lamastu's reassigning as a lilû both originate from the same time and place, the Middle Assyrian Empire, but this could be a coincidence.{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}}

On one Lamastu amulet, a scene shows Pazuzu chasing the demoness away from her victim,{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} while another displays him destroying it.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Horowitz |first=Wayne |title=A Woman of Valor: Jerusalem Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Joan Goodnick Westenholz |publisher=CSIC Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-8400091330 |pages=66}}</ref>

On a Neo-Assyrian bronze plaque, Pazuzu's head is perched above the top of the plaque, and a smaller version of him in the scene is chasing Lamastu away down a river.{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=87}} Other protective spirits also appear in the plaque, including [[apkallu]] and other animal-headed demons, there to protect the person who is lying down on a bed.{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=87}}

===Bes===
Some scholars believe that Egyptian demon [[Bes]] is a counterpart of Pazuzu.{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}}{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=274}} Both are known to be protector demons{{sfn | El-Kilany | 2017 | p=1}} in the home.{{sfn | El-Kilany | 2017 | p=1}} They have iconographic links: both having lion parts,{{sfn | El-Kilany | 2017 | p=2}} wings, a distinctly long phallus, and similar facial features.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=284}} There are noted similarities between the positioning of the two on protective amulets as well.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=284}} Another close connection is their association with the protection of pregnant women and mothers.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=284}}{{sfn | El-Kilany | 2017 | p=3}}

There is evidence that the two were in each other's cultural spheres. A possible Pazuzu figure was found in Egypt,{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=284}} as well as Bes amulets uncovered in sites in Iran.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=284}} In a seventh century era fort in [[Nimrud]], five Pazuzu heads were found near a Bes amulet.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=284}}

One theory posits a connection in their names - that Bes, like Pazuzu, could have been derived from the king name [[Sumerian King|Bazi]]{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=285}} - although Pazuzu's name has not yet been proven to have originated from Bazi,{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=274}} nor, it is speculated, has Bes's name been proven to be of foreign origin.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=285}}

===Other protective demons===
On some amulets, Pazuzu appears alongside [[Ugallu]] and [[Lulal]], protective deities who were thought to solely benefit mankind{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=366}} thus their presences here may be apotropaic, or deployed to minimise Pazuzu's maleficent aspect.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=366}} Their common positioning on the back of the amulet out of sight of the viewer could suggest the latter.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=366}} They have also been present on the back of half-relief Pazuzu heads,{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=366}} again out of sight.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=366}}

==In Mesopotamian religion==
Pazuzu is the god of the southwestern wind and is associated with the plague.<ref name=":0" /> Pazuzu was invoked in [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic]] [[amulet]]s, which combat the powers of his rival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/statuette-demon-pazuzu-inscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628125910/http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673225951&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673225951&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500800&baseIndex=56&bmLocale=en|archive-date=2009-06-28|title=Statuette of the demon Pazuzu with an inscription|work=Louvre website|access-date=2010-05-18}}</ref> the malicious goddess [[Lamashtu]], who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. He would protect humans against any variety of misfortune or plague.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pazuzu|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Pazuzu/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=World History Encyclopedia|language=en}}</ref>

==History==
According to Wiggermann, the Pazuzu figure suddenly appeared in the Early Iron Age.{{sfn|Wiggermann|p=372}}{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} His first visual depictions are not attested until the 8th century BC{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=272}} with the first finds being in the tombs of [[Nimrud]],{{sfn | Maiden | 2018 | p=88}} and his first appearances in texts trace to the 7th century BC.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=272}} The majority of his representations were found in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, with the most recent finds dating back to the time of the Seleucid Empire.{{sfn | Heeßel | 2011 | p=359}}

===Name===
One speculation for the origin of the name of Pazuzu connects to [[Bazi (king)|Bazi]], as named in the [[Tell Leilan]] version of the [[Sumerian King List]], who was a king of Mari.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=275}} The name is followed by that of the succeeding king, [[Sumerian King|Zizi]]. Bazi's name is preceded by [[Sumerian King|Anbu]], his father, who was suspected to have inspired the god Anbu, which later conflated into Hanbu,{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=276}} Pazuzu's father. The theory goes that, given the connection between Anbu and Hanbu, it could be that the name Pazuzu is a construction of the following kings names: Ba-zi-Zi-zi.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=277}}

Like Pazuzu, [[Humbaba]] was used as a protector deity, with depictions of his frightening head being used to ward off evil.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=274}} It could therefore be speculated that the Pazuzu heads replaced those of Humbaba.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=274}} Humbaba fell from favour in the Late Bronze Age,{{sfn | Wiggermann | 2007}} shortly before Pazuzu emerged, although the two do not share any great iconographic connection,{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=272}} making it unlikely  that Pazuzu could have evolved from the earlier deity.

Another speculation is that rather than Bes and Pazuzu having a common origin point, Pazuzu was an offshoot of Bes.{{sfn | ''Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic'' | 2019 | p=274}}

==In popular culture==
Pazuzu is most famous in western popular culture due to the 1971 novel ''[[The Exorcist (novel)|The Exorcist]]'' and its 1973 film adaptation ''[[The Exorcist]]''. In both instances, [[Pazuzu (The Exorcist)|Pazuzu]] is the evil spirit that possesses the young girl [[Regan MacNeil]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Rosemary|last1=Guiley|title=The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHosWhaeWDQC&dq=Pazuzu+%2522the+exorcist%2522&pg=PA197|publisher=Infobase Publishing|date= 2009 |isbn=978-1-4381-3191-7|page=197}}{{cite book|first1=Lorenzo|last1=Verderame|title='Evil from an Ancient Past and the Archaeology of the Beyond: An Analysis of the Movies The Exorcist (1973) and The Evil Dead (1981)', in L. Verderame and A. Garcia-Ventura (eds) Receptions of the Ancient Near East in Popular Culture and Beyond |url=https://www.academia.edu/42148033|publisher=Lockwood Press|date= 2020 |isbn=978-1-948488-24-2|pages=159–179}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Mythology}}
* [[Abyzou]]
* [[Edimmu]]
* [[Enlil]]
* {{section link|Hermeticism|"As above, so below"}}
* [[Kilili]]
* [[Lilitu]]
* [[Lulal]]
* [[Ugallu]]
* [[Umū dabrūtu]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite journal | last=El-Kilany | first=Engy | title=The Protective Role of Bes- image for Women and Children in Ancient Egypt | journal=Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality | volume=14 | issue=2 | date=2017-01-01 | pages=19–28 | doi=10.21608/jaauth.2017.48140 | issn=1687-1863 | url=https://www.academia.edu/40086483 | access-date=2022-03-26| doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal | last=Heeßel | first=Nils P | title=Evil against evil. The Demon Pazuzu | journal=In: L. Verderame (Ed.), Demoni mesopotamici, Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni 77/2, Rome 2011, 357-368 | date=2011-01-01 | url=https://www.academia.edu/2922372 | access-date=2022-04-01}}
* {{cite journal | last=Maiden | first=Brett | title=Counterintuitive Demons: Pazuzu and Lamaštu in Iconography, Text, and Cognition | journal=Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions | volume=18 | issue=1 | date=2018-01-01 | pages=86–110 | doi=10.1163/15692124-12341295 | issn=1569-2116 | url=https://www.academia.edu/36812341 | access-date=2022-03-26}}
* {{cite web | last=Niederreiter | first=Zoltán | title=2017. "Two Pazuzu-head amulets inscribed with the standard B incantation" Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale 111 (2017) 109-132. | website=Academia.edu | date=2018-01-06 | url=https://www.academia.edu/35597233 | access-date=2022-03-26}}
* {{cite web | last=Noegel | first=Scott | title="On the Wings of the Winds: Towards an Understanding of Winged Mischwesen in the Ancient Near East," KASKAL 14 (2017), pp. 15-54. | website=Academia.edu | date=2018-04-30 | url=https://www.academia.edu/36538823 | access-date=2022-03-26}}
*{{citation|last=Wiggermann|first=Frans A. M.|entry=Pazuzu|encyclopedia=Reallexikon der Assyriologie|year=2005|entry-url=http://publikationen.badw.de/en/rla/index#9491|access-date=2022-03-08}}
* {{cite web | last=Wiggermann | first=Frans | title=The Four Winds and the Origins of Pazuzu | website=Academia.edu | date=2007-01-01 | url=https://www.academia.edu/503964 | access-date=2022-03-26}}
* {{cite journal | title=A Tale of Two Lands and Two Thousand Years: The Origins of Pazuzu | journal=Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic | date=2019-07-01 | url=https://www.academia.edu/39730790 | ref={{sfnref | Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic | 2019}} | access-date=2022-03-26}}
* {{cite web | title=Gorillaz - Humility (Official Video) | website=YouTube | date=2022-03-25 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5yFcdPAGv0 | ref={{sfnref | YouTube - Humility | 2022}} | access-date=2022-03-26}}
* {{cite web | title=Rhinestone Eyes | website=YouTube | date=2022-03-25 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1bTAcMAQDc | ref={{sfnref | YouTube - Rhinestone Eyes | 2022}} | access-date=2022-03-26}}
* {{cite web | title=Gorillaz - Désolé ft. Fatoumata Diawara (Episode Two) | website=YouTube | date=2022-03-25 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLKZKmdZEjM | ref={{sfnref | YouTube - Desole | 2022}} | access-date=2022-03-26}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/meso.html Figure of Pazuzu - Oriental Institute of Chicago] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110023310/http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/meso.html |date=2013-11-10 }}
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/bronze-head-of-pazuzu/hQGioUKIaYk1zQ Bronze head of Pazuzu - British Museum through Google museum]
* [http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/assyria-to-iberia/blog/posts/pazuzu Pazuzu: Beyond Good and Evil - Metropolitan Museum of Art]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pazuzu| ]]
[[Category:Mesopotamian gods]]
[[Category:Mesopotamian demons]]
[[Category:Evil gods]]
[[Category:Drought gods]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
[[Category:Wind gods]]
[[Category:Mesopotamian underworld]]
[[Category:Mythological kings]]
[[Category:Tutelary gods]]
[[Category:Fertility gods]]
[[Category:Avian humanoids]]