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I. Introduction. Hybrid Mesopotami- with Annû Qaqqad Pazuzu “This Is Iconography of Deities and Demons: Electronic Pre-Publication 1/5 Last Revision: 10 December 2007 Pazuzu shown; and large, round, deep-set eyes under thick eyebrows. Animal horns, a I. Introduction. Hybrid Mesopotami- horizontally cut human beard, human ears, an demon. According to literary sources P. round bulges on his head, and a throat represents a ferocious wind that brings marked by horizontal lines are further destruction to cultivated land, cattle, and characteristic features of this demon. An humans. This wind was originally identified elongated, small, canine body with the ribs with a hot, southwesterly wind due to an clearly visible, human shoulders and arms incorrect understanding of a Sumerian ending in the claws of a predator, and incantation (LENORMANT 1874: 48), but re- human or animal thighs which turn into cent research (CHARLIER 1992; HEEßEL bird’s talons form the body. Two pairs of 2002: 2, 62-66) shows that an identification bird’s wings on his back, a penis erectus with a cold, wintry, northeasterly wind is ending in a snake’s head, and the tail of a much more consistent with the textual scorpion complete P.’s hybrid iconography. evidence. Regardless of the pose P. is presented in, Representations of P., usually in the these parts of his iconography are shown on form of small heads, were extremely all elaborate pieces. popular since his image was used to ward A variation of this standard iconography off other demonic beings. P. served is found on the reverse of a Lamashtu- particularly as the antagonist of the baby- amulet (2) portraying a demon with cow snatching demon →Lamashtu, and was a ears, closed human mouth, a long snake-like favourite amulet of pregnant women and tail, and the left arm raised, not the right as young mothers. P.’s popularity is also usual. As the other elements are charac- illustrated by the distribution of images teristic of P. this figure can still be outside Mesopotamia, which were found in interpreted by MOOREY (1965: 34) as “a Susiana, Luristan, Samos, and the Levant local iconographic variant, rather than including Palestine/Israel. another demon,” as opposed to WIGGER- The earliest known images from the 8th MANN’S (1992: 179) identification of it as a cent. display a fully developed iconography “deviant →kusarikku.” Another alteration in that does not undergo any significant P.’s iconography is the curly beard shown changes through five cents. until the last on several images (23-25), that gives P. a attestations in Seleucid times. →Bes-like appearance (HEEßEL 2002: 22). The identification of representations A slight variance can also be detected on with P. is based on a number of objects a representation of P. on a fibula with an bearing a standard incantation (Sumerian attached stamp seal from Megiddo. The gá-e Pa-zu-zu or Akkadian anāku Pa-zu-zu small head on one arm of fibula 21* “I am P.”) and is proven beyond doubt by displays several of P.’s features, such as the an inscription on a clay P. head (14) starting canine jaws, the rectangular head, bulging with annû qaqqad Pazuzu “this is the head eyes, and horns. However, the ears that stick of P.” out are not human, but resemble the cow’s The following description of phenotypes ears of 2. A very similar fibula, unfortu- is based on a selective catalogue of 30 from nately not found in a regular excavation, 164 representations of P. discussed in with the same cow ears and an attached HEEßEL 2002. Added to this are the P. heads stamp seal also depicting a horned animal from Beth-Shean (20*) and (30) Ḥorvat (22), shows that this deviation is not Qitmit. restricted to a single case and cannot be II. Typology taken as evidence for a local variation. II.1. Phenotypes 1. COMPLETE FIGURE 1. COMPLETE FIGURE 1.1. Attacking (1-7) 1.1. Attacking. Most statuettes depict 1.2. Standing (8-10) 1.3. Crouching (11-12) 2. HEAD P. en face in an attacking posture, with the 2.1. Single-faced head (13-26) 2.2. Janus head (27- right arm raised in smiting pose and the left 32) 3. UNCERTAIN leg put forward in an advancing stride (1*). GENERAL REMARKS. The standard iconography and the few detectable An attacking P. with his left arm raised (2) variations are considered here before the is unusual. Some statuettes show a sitting different phenotypes are discussed. Images (3*) or kneeling (4) position, but never- of P. show a rather distinct iconography theless with the right arm raised in attack. with only very few deviations. His head On amulets P. is seen in side view in the consists of mixed anthropomorphic and same posture (5-7). theriomorphic elements. Most distinctive 1.2. Standing. Images of P. on the are the rectangular form of the head; the reverse of →Lamashtu-amulets (8*-9) ren- canine jaws with the teeth and tongue der a tranquil picture of the demon viewed from the back, with both claws positioned at IDD website: http://www.religionswissenschaft.unizh.ch/idd Iconography of Deities and Demons: Electronic Pre-Publication 2/5 Last Revision: 10 December 2007 the edge of the amulet and the head looking hands. This figure is always accompanied over the rim. One foot is put forward as if by a P. head right above it, which indicates striding but the clutching of the rim shows that the figure itself is not P. Since the P. as standing, frozen in movement, and figure of a man in lion’s hide is depicted at looking in the direction of the viewer. A the same position on another amulet, it can statuette, supposedly from Tanis (San el- be surmised that this is not the demon P. but Hagar), portrays P. in a standing position a human, probably an exorcist, who is using with both arms raised and both talons set the accompanying P. head, and who is side by side (10). BRAUN-HOLZINGER drawn similarly to the demon, or even wears (1984: 77) suspects that this statuette was a mask (HEEßEL 2002: 18f). modeled after a representation on a II.2. Associations Lamashtu-amulet without knowledge of 1. ASSOCIATED WITH DEITIES/DEMONS three-dimensional images. 1.1. Lamashtu (2, 8-9, 16) 1.2. Ugallu and Lulal (5- 6, 15, 23) 2. ASSOCIATED WITH ANIMALS AND 1.3. Crouching. A statuette from HUMANS: Bird, woman’s bust, and caprid Sultantepe (11) depicts P. in a crouching 1. ASSOCIATED WITH DEITIES/DE- position, sitting with his legs drawn up and MONS. both arms resting on his knees. A similar 1.1. Lamashtu. P. is pictured on the statuette delineates him on his knees, both back of several amulets (2, 8*-9) with the arms on his thighs, and his wings folded on female demon →Lamashtu as central figure; his back (12). and on two amulets (HEEßEL 2002: nos. 23, 2. HEAD 25) three-dimensional heads of P. are placed 2.1. Single-faced head. Far more on the upper edges. Furthermore, on some numerous than full-figure representations Lamashtu-amulets P. is also depicted on the are detached P. head-pendants that were obverse next to Lamashtu, once in full- used pars pro toto for the demon (13*- figure in an attacking pose (8*), and several 20*). Attached to other objects, they appear times only in the form of a head in side on fibulae (21*-22) or amulets (23-25). view (9). The broken stamp seal in the form Although the heads vary considerably in of P. from Sultantepe (16) shows on the their general form of appearance, with each base the lower half of a demon with bird’s head having a distinct air, which adds to the talons that FARBER (1980-83: 443 §3c) has personality of the demon, the iconography identified as Lamashtu. Literary sources that of the heads remains remarkably stable. The reflect P.’s association with Lamashtu are only detectable variations on detached heads scarce; only two passages in Lamashtu concern the canine jaws that are sometimes incantations refer to P. (HEEßEL 2002: 74f). exchanged for a human mouth, and the 1.2. Ugallu and Lulal. Four out of beard that can end in two points at the chin five known amulets with P. as the main (26). Very small heads, especially those figure depict two additional figures: a made of bronze or stone, sometimes display hybrid creature with a lion’s head, human a smaller number of iconographic features, body, and bird’s talons, a dagger in the usually only the most important, as the raised right hand and a scepter in the left; limited size made the handling of the pieces and a human figure with raised fist and the difficult. horned helmet of divinity. Each is clad in a 2.2. Janus head. One head (27); kilt. These two figures, better known from a three seals (28-29), of which one comes large panel from the north palace in Niniveh from Ḥorvat Qitmit in the Negev (30*), (CURTIS/READE 1995: 90, fig. 32), have inscribed with the name šwbnqws; and one been identified as →Ugallu and Lulal (WIG- statuette (31) show a Janus-head iconogra- GERMANN 1992: 63f). On the obverse of phy with a face of P. on each side. A mace amulet 6* P. is placed between them; on the head from Samos even depicts a P. face on other three amulets they are rendered on the all four sides (32). rev. (23, 5; HEEßEL 2002: no. 18). Further- 3. UNCERTAIN more, Ugallu and Lulal are drawn on the Four amulets (9 and HEEßEL 2002: nos.
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