A demonic class of spirits, the evil udug arise in ancient Mesopotamian mythology. Home to deities noted as far back as 7000 BCE, the fertile crescent is abundant with spiritual entities, gods, elementals, creators and demons. In myth, the evil udug are born of primordial chaos.
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Collectively the gods comprise the Dingir, and their erstwhile servants are the Igigi. The Gods are dissatisfied, kick out the Igigi and create humans to take their place. At the basis of Mesopotamian mythology is the belief humans are made to serve the Gods.
The demons, udug, are malicious creatures whose greatest pleasure is in the pain of others. From this mire of malevolence comes the demon Pazuzu, who's happy to fight with either gods or other demons, such as the baby-eating goddess demon Lamashtu.
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Pazuzu is probably the most famous of the Mesopotamian demons. He possesses Linda Blair's character in the 1973 cult classic "The Exorcist" and the later "Exorcist II".
Long before that, the udug frolic in the flames of destruction. They can appear in any sexual form or genderless. From a primal source, they are evil epitomized. Descriptions include a dark shadow or absence of surrounding light. They have poisonous breath, bilious skin or infectious spittle, and a thundering horrific voice.
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Or, they can be beautiful. Incantations known as Utukkū Lemnūtu in Akkadian and Udug-hul-a-kam in Sumerian are intoned against evil demons.
They're among the earliest Mesopotamian incantations, dating to c. 3000 BCE. The texts also include healing of diseases caused by demonic malice.
The Udug Hul texts include instructions for exorcizing the evil udug. These texts emphasize the evil udug's role in causing disease and the exorcist's role in curing the disease.
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The Lama or Lamassu is a type of benevolent demon who guards gates and doorways. It's inspired by the Sphinx, who has the head of a human, body of a lion and wings of an eagle.
The Sphinx are originally female. Lamassu often appear in pairs in front of portals. The Lama has a man's head with full beard, body of a bull and eagle wings. Sometimes an udug accompanies the Lama, and may be known as a "good udug".
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Evil udug also haunt gateways, portals, doors and entrances. They have toxic breath and are the ones responsible for causing sickness or madness when a tomb or burial site is opened. When they go underground, explorers, miners and archaeologists are in the domain of demons.
Udug also can cast a sickness when a person passes by. Over a wider range they can send many afflictions including plague, pestilence, spontaneous abortion, infections, bleeding and childhood diseases. They can fly, pass through material earth and travel great distances in a heartbeat.
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In earliest appearances the udug are nameless and formless. Later, the God Asalluḫi, one of the Old Gods, explains the appearance of the udug to his father, the God Enkil. In a bilingual incantation, written in Akkadian and Sumerian, he says:
"O my father, the evil udug, its appearance is malignant and its stature towering,
Although it is not a god its clamor is great and its radiance immense,
It is dark, its shadow is pitch black and there is no light within its body,
It always hides, taking refuge, [it] does not stand proudly,
Its claws drip with bile, it leaves poison in its wake,
Its belt is not released, his arms enclose,
It fills the target of his anger with tears, in all lands, [its] battle cry cannot be restrained."
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Although the udug are often nameless, some such as Pazuzu and his father, Hanbi or Hanpa, bear personal names (listed below). Hanbi or Hanpa is described as the personification of evil, lord of all evil forces.
Mesopotamian gods and spiritual entities tend to be well described in meticulous god lists, also known as offering lists or kaluti. Demons are not worshipped, and have no temples or cult centers, though they can be invoked by name if it's known.
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In one source, King Gudea of Lagash (ruled c. 2144–2124 BCE) asks a goddess to send a "good udug" to protect him and a Lama (Lamassu) to guide him. Exorcisms often invoke the "good udug" as guardian and support. The exorcism of the evil udug is an elaborate ritual written on sixteen clay tablets.
A later text from the Old Babylonian Period (c. 1830 - 1531 BCE) reads, "May the evil udug and the evil galla stand aside. May the good udug and good galla be present." The galla class of demons are especially known for dragging the reluctant dead into the Underworld.
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In Mesopotamia the galla demons are linked to Underworld Goddess Ereshkigal. They pursue Ereshkigal's sister, Goddess Inanna upon her resurrection and flight from the Underworld.
The phrase for "evil udug" is Udug Hul in Sumerian and Utukkū Lemnutū in Akkadian. Magical texts of Mesopotamia refer to a specific "evil udug" and plural "udugs". Udug can refer to an individual or the whole group.
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Without an adjective the udug is considered evil by default. Exorcism focuses on driving out the demon causing sickness, and in that way treating the illness.
As well as physical, an evil udug can convey all manner of mental illness conditions and disease, including anxiety, depression, strange behavior, hostility, hearing voices or having nightmares. Association of mental illness with evil spirits or demonic possession is a cross-cultural belief in the ancient world.
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The evil udug so far identified include:
Mimma Lemnu - shadow demon connected to witches; also a magic spell
Hanbi - personification of evil, lord of all the demonic forces udug
Ardat Lili - shadow demon with features of women, dogs and scorpion; child devourer
Vardat Lilitu - vampire shadow demon, predator of children
Alu Lilu - shadow demon without a face
Pazuzu - shadow demon king of all the evil wind spirits
Mukil res lemutti - shadow demon of misfortune; capable of possessing people
Namtar - shadow demon, ally of Ereshkigal; keeps demon mimma lemnu chained in the underworld
Ti'u - shadow demon, will ally with the Gods (Dingir)
Akhkhazu - shadow demon of pestilence, ally of Lamashtu
Kilili - shadow demon connected to the owls, ally of Inanna
Labasu - shadow demon in the text of an exorcism
Abyzou - shadow demon responsible for spontaneous abortions, childhood diseases
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