A demonic deity of protection and destruction, Pazuzu appears in the Iron Age in Mesopotamia, although his worship may go back further. His father is Hapnu, God of All Evil, also known as "the staggering one" or "the perverted one." A hybrid of several animals, Pazuzu is a fearsome creature whose presence frightens even misfortune away.
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A hybrid creature, Pazuzu has the body of a dog, with scales, and feet of birds' talons. He has two pairs of wings, tail of a scorpion, and a penis resembling a serpent. He has the horns of a gazelle, a canine snout and human ears. His eyes bulge and wrinkles etch his cheeks. In depictions he holds his right hand up and his left hand down.
Pazuzu is sworn enemy and rival of demon baby-eating goddess Lamashtu, who attacks pregnant women, women in childbirth, nursing mothers and infants, the latter of which she devours with bone-crunching glee. In some stories she also eats human men.
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Pazuzu is invoked as a protector against miscarriage, childbirth problems, ailments and infections after childbirth, sickness of mother or child, injury or infant death. Overall he nullifies the evil of Lamashtu. It's not from kindness, but rivalry.
Worship of the demon incurs his pleasure. He's invoked in rituals. His likeness or personification is used in defense charms. He has two specific aspects. One is as a house spirit or demon, protecting the household. The other is a wild wind demon wandering the mountains.
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The Demon God Pazuzu is King of the liliu wind demons. These magical Mesopotamic entities are called hlilu in Akkadian sources, and lili in Sumerian. In a cuneiform tablet, the lilû are among other wicked beings from the myth and lore of Mesopotamia.
The wicked Utukku who slays man alive on the plain.
The wicked Alû who covers (man) like a garment.
The wicked Edimmu, the wicked Gallû, who bind the body.
The Lamme (Lamashtu), the Lammea (Labasu), who cause disease in the body.
The Lilû who wanders in the plain.
"They have come nigh unto a suffering man on the outside. They have brought about a painful malady in his body."
Pazuzu is the god of the southwestern wind, and associated with the plague and general misfortune. Honoring the demon causes his curse to bypass the home. His powers can also frighten away unwanted guests or prowlers.
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As a protector deity Pazuzu stops his demonic subjects from swooping through and destroying the house. He repels the magic of Lamashtu and that of other evil spirits. Some sources equate him with the Egyptian Bes, another domestic demon entity. Worship of Bes spreads as far north as Syria.
Inscriptions on backs of his statues ascribe him deific power. His name appears in ritual texts. To gain his favor and protection, people use spells, incantations and talismans. His image and artifacts would be set in various parts of the home or worn as personal protection.
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Pazuzu is a popular deity in ancient Mesopotamia, as attested by artifacts and tablets in large numbers, suggesting they are mass-manufactured. Bronze or carved Pazuzu heads, in ornament or jewelry form, were thought to guard against sickness.
Ritual writings from the city of Uruk, southern Mesopotamia, state a woman should be given a bronze necklace or amulet of Pazuzu to protect her from miscarriage due to the evil of Lamashtu.
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As wild wind god and mountain demon, Pazuzu says in a Sumerian/Akkadian literary text:
"I am Pazuzu, son of Ḫanbu, king of the evil lilû-demons. I was enraged against the strong mountains and ascended them."
Another text describes Pazuzu meeting other lilû demons. He breaks their wings to prevent them from doing 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."
In other texts he plays a more malicious role. He's referred to as "Agony of Mankind", "Suffering of Mankind", "Disease of Mankind". Chants telling the demon to stay out of the house are among archaeological finds.
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Lord of the Wind Demons
Pazuzu and his subjects belong to the class of Mesopotamian spirits known as the Wind Demons. Lilû seem to be based on the earlier Babylonian "Four Winds". The wind gods are winged, and each personification relates to a specific direction: north, east, south, west.
Wind demons create storms, blizzards, twisters and tempests. Entities of destruction, they're kept under control by Pazuzu. In this way the demon becomes a mediator between humanity and nature, or nature spirits. He occupies a coveted place in the spirit hierarchy, revered both by mortals and his supernatural subjects.
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One of Pazuzu's crowning achievements in popular culture is his appearance in the 70's Exorcist and Exorcist II movies. He's the demon who possesses Linda Blair's character, a little girl. The movie's now a classic. We still cringe at the pea soup scene.
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