When Tiamat sees how her children have turned against her, betrayed and murdered her partner Abzu, her she screams out her grief and agony. She churns the waters of the primal seas into a frothing tempest. From her body emerge eleven hideous monsters. Among them is Kulullu, the Fish Man Monster.
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Kulullu's name in Sumerian means Fish Man, and that is what he is. With head, arms and torso of a human, he has the lower body and tail of a fish. Kulullu is often depicted in palace sculptures and on kudurrus, or boundary stones.
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He's also connected to financial wealth and prosperity. He brings an aura of divine benevolence to households. His icon is inscribed ri-da hi-ṣib KUR-i er-ba taš-mu u ma-ga-ru, "come down abundance of the mountain, enter intercession and compliance".
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Kulullu first appears in myth in the Old Babylonian period c. 1894 - 1595 BCE. He's one of the toxic monsters defeated by Marduk in Enuma Elish ( Enûma Eliš ), the Babylonian creation myth.
The writing of Enuma Elish is thought to date to 14th century BCE. It presents the creation story in more than one way. Tiamat is also seen as a victim of her children's plotting and betrayal.
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In other versions Tiamat simply personifies the evil (chaos) which must be vanquished by the hero (order) as per the continuing cycles of life. Tiamat may appear as a seductive woman, a mermaid, venomous snake or sea monster.
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Any way ends up badly for Tiamat as Marduk kills her and chops her in half, from her body creating Sky and Earth. For her monstrous offspring, another fate awaits.
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Mighty Marduk battles each one, including Fish Man Kulullu, and defeats them all. He puts them to work recreating the world they have destroyed.
With this work the evil is purged from within them. Although they're still demons they become benevolent entities often used for magical protection of self, home or royal gate. In near Eastern religion they appear as bull men, scorpion men and Ugallu.
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The monsters are transformed in appearance and demeanor. They assume qualities of peacefulness and kindness, but are fierce in defense. No longer are they hideous, but attractive to look upon.
Because Marduk captured and defeated them, the creatures are loyal to the God and his subjects, wielding strong protective powers. Marduk is especially known for his snake-dragon Mushussu. All eleven monsters are listed HERE.
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Besides the inclusion of Fish Man Kulullu in the Shurpu, another depiction is his apotropaic icon on the gate of the ká-su-lim-ma, the chamber of Marduk and his divine consort Zarpanītu. His protective qualities linked with water bring restful sleep and insightful dreams.
Although Kulullu is known in Assyria, his remaining images are few. He's pictured in a marine scene at the Assyrian capital. In later Assyrian myth he's associated with Kuliltu or Fish Woman.
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Statues of Kulullu and Kulitu have been discovered in the Nabû temple in Nimrud, on the Tigris River. Kulullu and Kuliltu can be single or multiple entities, such as the birth goddesses Kotharat.
The Fish People might have functions similar to the nixies of Germanic folklore or the Mesopotamian marsh goddess, Nanshe. As water spirits, they tend their habitats with care, and also relate to dreams and dream interpretation.
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Kulullu is one of the demons named in tablet VIII of the Shurpu (Šurpu) incantation series, the ritual to counter a curse of unknown origin. He also appears in a hymn to Marduk and the gods of the Esagila, the great temple complex in Babylon where the statue of Marduk is kept.
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