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I'm looking into fabulous creatures and demons specifically in Sumerian texts, or in Akkadian texts but where the creature/demon still had a Sumerian origin. I can't seem to find a complete list, if it even exists, and many which are listed in various places on the internet are extremely suspect. What I have so far:

  • Anzu bird
  • Asag
  • Bull of Heaven
  • Galla (same as Galatura?)
  • Humbaba
  • Kurgara
  • Namtar

What else is out there from the Sumerian side? Any fabulous creatures at all would be helpful, but I hope to find specifically more demons and monsters.

cmw
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1 Answers1

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A couple come to mind, though, of course, I make no claim I can provide anything like a complete list:

F.A.M. Wiggerman's Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts, particularly Section VII "Inventory of Monsters, Brief Discussions" (starting page 143).

Subsection C there gives histories of the following monsters, who are part of the army of Tiamat in the Enuma Elish (which is also discussed here in some depth):

-Lahmu : "the Hairy One"
-Bašmu : "Venomous Snake", "Birth Goddess Snake"
-Mušḫuššu : "Furious Snake", "Aweful Snake"
-Ugallu : "Big-Weather Beast", "Big Day"
-Uridimmu : "Mad Lion"
-Kusarikku : "Bison", "Bison(-bull)"
-Girtablullû : "Scorpion-Man"
-Urmahlullû : "Lion-Man"
-Kulullû : "Fish-Man"
-Suhurmasu : "Carp-Goat"

femtoRgon
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