Pazuzu: The Mesopotamian Demon of Destruction and Protection
Pazuzu is a Babylonian/Assyrian demon who was most popular in the first millennium BCE. He was the son of Hanbi (also Hanba), king of the demons of the underworld, and brother of Humbaba, the demon-god protector of the cedar forest in The Epic of Gilgamesh, who is killed by the heroes. He was famous for his destructive powers and, because of this, was often invoked for protection against the very diseases, threats, and terrors he created. He was the demon of the underworld who commanded the west and south-west winds, which brought famine during the dry season and, in the rainy season, tearing storms and locusts. As he was the force behind the destructive winds and their threat, he was also considered the best defense against them.
Similar in this way to Set (Egyptian god), prayers to Pazuzu were intended to divert his natural inclination toward destruction to the more benevolent ends of protection. Since it was clear he had great power to harm, it was thought he was equally potent in protection.
Pazuzu is the most famous Mesopotamian demon in the present day, and likely the only one people have ever heard of. Scholar Stephen Bertman notes: “Though short on pizzazz, Pazuzu made it to Hollywood: he is the only Mesopotamian demon to have starred in a movie – The Exorcist (125). In the 1973 horror film (based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty), Pazuzu is the demon who possesses the Linda Blair character and is associated with the Christian Satan and the forces of evil.
Demons in Ancient Mesopotamia
Even so, although he was never considered the most benevolent of supernatural beings in ancient Mesopotamia and was certainly regarded as a powerful demon, he was not evil incarnate. He should be regarded more as a trickster god who might do harm or good depending on his mood. He was particularly powerful in protecting pregnant women and children from the demon-goddess Lamashtu, who preyed on unborn and newborn babies.
The term "demon” in the modern day always carries with it the connotation of evil, but this was not so in the ancient world. The English word “demon” is a translation of the Greek word daimon, which simply meant “spirit”. A daimon could be good or evil, depending on its intentions and the results of a visitation. In ancient Mesopotamia, as in other cultures of the ancient world, demons were often sent by the gods as punishment for sin or to remind one of one’s duty to the gods and others in one’s community. Demons were not always evil, and even those who brought death and destruction, like Pazuzu, were still capable of good deeds.
⇒ Pazuzu: The Mesopotamian Demon of Destruction and Protection
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