Asag (Azag, Asakku) is a demon so horrific his very presence makes fish boil alive in rivers and lakes. In the Sumerian poem Lugal-e he's a Mesopotamian disease demon and chaos monster of the highest degree.
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His name comes from Sumerian á-sàg or disorder. Asag belongs to the most powerful class of gallu demons who reside in Kur, the Underworld. The main work of these demons is to drag unwilling mortals into Kur. They also have the role of hellish torturers, as in the story of Dumuzid, when goddess Inanna turns her wrath on him.
As demons of disease they may be asked to do other tasks. At one point the god Enlil tells disease demon Namtar to spread plague among the humans because they make too much noise and he can't sleep.
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When Asag gets together with Namtar, the two become together the most dangerous and deadly sources of disease. Asag is best known from his battle with Ninurta, the son of Enlil.
A Sumerian god of farming, healing, hunting, law, scribes and war, Ninurta also has the power to cure diseases caused by demons. In Mesopotamian philosophy, most disease is caused by demons.
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Ninurta gains his fierce reputation by battling the terrible demon monster Asag, who wreaks havoc throughout the known world. At another time Ninurta defeats the bird monster Anzu (Anzû), who stole the tablet of destinies from Enlil. Later, the champion of the story is Marduk.
The demon god Asag is often allied with an army of rock demons. They are his children, born from an intimate liaison with a mountain.
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After consulting with his father Enlil, Ninurta sets out to slay the dread demon. He brings his enchanted talking mace, Sharur, whose name in Sumerian means 'smasher of thousands'.
Sharur has certain powers. It can fly across great distances, maintaining contact with the thrower. In Ninurta's battle with Asag, Sharur is a method of communication between Enlil and Ninurta.
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The mace can also take the form of a winged lion. Through Sharur, Ninurta receives strategic information from Enlil about how to slay Asag. The demon god is poisoning the rivers and laying waste to the land.
In Lugal-e, also known as Ninurta's Exploits, Ninurta confronts Asag to find him surrounded by his army of rock monsters. With the help of Sharur and the divine protection of Enlil, Ninurta leaps into the fray, smashing heads as stone shrapnel flies all around him.
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Asag thunders, and the earth shakes. He gnashes his teeth and breathes toxic fumes of disease upon Ninurta. With a great swing of his mace, Ninurta deals Asag a death blow, and the mighty demon crumbles.
From the rubble of Asag's army, Ninurta uses stones to build the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and make them useful for irrigation. Originally Ninurta is an agricultural god of fertility, and even in his warrior role he retains these associations.
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As Mesopotamia evolves to become more warlike, Ninurta's image changes to that of a warrior. His main cult center is Nippur. He's sometimes known as Ninĝirsu'.
Two kings erect massive temples to Ninurta. By the first millenium BCE he's hailed as a hero among the Assyrians. His major symbols are a perched bird and a plow.
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In the ancient world Ninurta appears in more myths in Mesopotamia than any other deity, except Inanna. Beyond his conquest and apparent demise at the hands of Ninurta, there is no further sign of Asag.
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