An ancient Sumerian demon, Lamashtu first appears in the Bronze Age, 2900 - 2350 BCE. A malevolent entity and evil spirit, she's a hybrid of animals and often attacks childbearing or nursing women. Like Roggenmuhme of German myth, Lamashtu is an anti-mother figure.
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She's known to terrorize women who are in childbirth, and also steals infants when they're breast-feeding. Lamashtu can cause infections or complications of childbirth. She eats children and babies, crunches their bones and sucks their blood.
She has a hairy body, head of a lioness, long claws or fingernails, teeth and ears of a donkey, and bird's feet with sharp talons. She may be depicted kneeling on a donkey, nursing a pig and dog, or holding snakes. She also causes terrifying nightmares or sleeplessness.
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Lamashtu is the daughter of Anu. One of the gods of creation, Anu is a Hurrian sky deity also worshipped by the Akkadians and other Mesopotamian people. He's also 'father' of the weather and agriculture god Teshub. Anu's genitals were bitten off in a fight for kingship by the 'mother' of Teshub, Kumarbi.
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Lamashtu has significant powers and ranks high in the demonic pantheon. She acts on her own from malevolence, and not under the direction of a higher power as some demons do. She has seven names, and is depicted as seven witches in spells and incantations.
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The evil acts of Lamashtu include:
slaying children, unborns, and infants
causing harm to mothers and expectant mothers
eating men and drinking their blood
disturbing sleep
causing nightmares
killing foliage
infesting rivers and lakes with pestilence
bringing disease, sickness, and death
In order to deal with Lamashtu, the demon god Pazuzu is invoked to protect birthing and nursing mothers. He brings drought and famine, but also guards against evil and plague. Although a demon he's the sworn enemy of Lamashtu and will protect people from her.
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The incantation against Lamashtu is:
"Great is the daughter of Heaven who tortures babies
Her hand is a net, her embrace is death
She is cruel, raging, angry, predatory
A runner, a thief is the daughter of Heaven
She touches the bellies of women in labor
She pulls out the pregnant women's baby
The daughter of Heaven is one of the Gods, her brothers
With no child of her own.
Her head is a lion's head
Her body is a donkey's body
She roars like a lion
She constantly howls like a demon-dog."
An Akkadian (early Mesopotamian) ritual for sick children is known as the "incantation to dispel lasting fever and Lamashtu". Items needed are a figure of Lamashtu, and bread and water as a sacrifice. In front of her, water is poured over then bread.
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Then, a black dog must carry the figure. It's placed near the sick child's head for three days with the heart of a piglet in its mouth. The incantation has to be spoken thrice a day, and more food sacrifices made. At dusk the third day, the figurine must be taken outside and buried near the wall.
In another incantation, Lamashtu is identified with Inanna, the ancient Sumerian goddess of love, sensuality, fertility, procreation and war. In some myths Inanna is slain by her sister Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld.
"Lamash, daughter of Anu
Whose name has been uttered by the gods
Innin(Inanna), queen of queens
Lamashtu, O great lady
Who seizes the painful Asakku
Overwhelming the Alû
Come not nigh what belongeth to the man
Be conjured by Heaven
Be conjured by the Earth
Be conjured by Enlil
Be conjured by Ea."
In old Babylonian cuneiform, Lamashtu is called dDim3-me. The d is a sign meaning 'goddess'. It also means 'sky', with which all divinities are associated.
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