Pazuzu

📷 Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.5 — 2007

MythologySpiritualityBefore ChristAncient Mesopotamia, mainly during the Neo-Assyrian period (1st millennium BCE)

Pazuzu is a Mesopotamian demon of the evil wind, depicted with a canine face, raptor wings, and a hybrid body. Paradoxically, he was invoked as a protector against Lamashtu, the demon of childbirth. His image adorned amulets to protect pregnant women and newborns.

Key Facts

Pazuzu is attested primarily in Neo-Assyrian texts and objects from the 1st millennium BCE
He is described as king of the wind demons of the air, bringer of disease and fever
Statuettes and amulets bearing his likeness have been found in large numbers at Nineveh and other Assyrian sites
Paradoxically a protector, he was invoked to ward off Lamashtu, a demoness who threatened pregnant women and children
He became widely known in modern popular culture through William Friedkin's film The Exorcist (1973)

Works & Achievements

Anti-Lamashtu Incantation Series (2nd–1st millennium BCE)

A corpus of cuneiform tablets in three series describing rituals to protect pregnant women and newborns. Pazuzu is systematically invoked as a force opposed to Lamashtu.

Maqlû Ritual Series (7th century BCE)

A major compilation of nine tablets of exorcisms against witchcraft and demons. It attests to the role of wind spirits, including Pazuzu, in Assyro-Babylonian demonological cosmology.

Bronze Statuette of Pazuzu (British Museum BM 93079) (c. 800 BCE)

One of the most complete and best-preserved three-dimensional representations of the demon, discovered at Nimrud. It serves as direct evidence of Pazuzu's iconography and ritual use.

Apotropaic Plaque from the Louvre (AO 22205) (1st millennium BCE)

A bronze head of Pazuzu with a suspension ring, held at the Louvre Museum. Among the most iconic examples of the type of portable talisman used to protect newborns.

Tablets from the Library of Ashurbanipal (Nineveh) (7th century BCE)

An exceptional collection of cuneiform texts assembled by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, including rituals, myths, and incantations. These tablets represent the most important written source on Mesopotamian demonology, including Pazuzu.

Anecdotes

Pazuzu is one of the rare Mesopotamian demons to play a protective role: although he is himself a malevolent spirit of the southwest wind, his image was placed in homes to frighten away Lamashtu, the demoness who preyed on pregnant women and newborns. The Mesopotamians thus used the power of one evil to ward off another.

Archaeologists have unearthed dozens of bronze statuettes depicting Pazuzu, notably at Nimrud and Nineveh. These figurines were often hung above the beds of women about to give birth, acting as invisible guardians. Some bore an Akkadian inscription invoking the demon's name and powers.

The head of Pazuzu was the most widespread talisman: amulets in the shape of a grimacing canine face, pierced with a hole to be worn as a pendant, have been found throughout Mesopotamia. This terrifying face was believed to repel malevolent forces lurking around newborns by its appearance alone.

Pazuzu is described in cuneiform texts as 'the king of the evil wind demons,' son of the underworld god Hanbi. His hybrid body — dog's head, eagle's wings, human torso, scorpion's tail — symbolized his power over multiple realms of the living world, making him fearsome even among other demons.

In the Neo-Assyrian period, exorcists (the āshipu) recited specific incantations calling upon Pazuzu to drive Lamashtu from a household. Ritual texts detail the procedure: craft a figurine of Pazuzu, recite the appropriate formulas, and place the statuette at the entrance of the home to make it a permanent guardian.

Primary Sources

Series of incantations against Lamashtu (cuneiform tablets) (8th–7th century BCE)

Pazuzu, king of the demons of the evil wind, I invoke you. You who surpass the wind gods in majesty, protect this house and drive away the demoness Lamashtu.

Bronze statuette of Pazuzu, Nimrud (British Museum, reference BM 93079) (c. 800 BCE)

Votive figurine depicting Pazuzu standing, grimacing canine face, wings spread, bearing an Akkadian inscription on the base recalling his protective function.

Apotropaic plaque of Pazuzu (Louvre Museum, reference AO 22205) (1st millennium BCE)

Bronze head of Pazuzu with suspension ring. Used as an amulet to protect pregnant women and newborns against evil spirits.

Maqlû ritual (series of Akkadian exorcism tablets) (7th century BCE)

The incantations of the Maqlû mention wind demons among the forces the exorcist could call upon to purify a household and drive away harmful spirits.

Cuneiform tablet from Nineveh (library collection of Ashurbanipal) (7th century BCE)

Description of Pazuzu's attributes: 'His face is that of the desert lion, his claws are those of the eagle, his body bears the scales of the serpent, and his wings cover the sky with the evil wind.'

Key Places

Nineveh (modern Mosul, Iraq)

Capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and its main religious center, where numerous statuettes and tablets mentioning Pazuzu were discovered. The Library of Ashurbanipal housed the most complete series of exorcism texts.

Nimrud (ancient Kalhu, Iraq)

Assyrian city where archaeologists unearthed several of the finest bronze statuettes of Pazuzu in the 19th century. These objects are now held in the British Museum in London.

Assur (modern Qal'at Sherqat, Iraq)

Holy city of the Assyrian Empire and its earliest major religious center; numerous apotropaic amulets linked to birth rituals have been excavated here.

Babylon (modern Hilla, Iraq)

Great metropolis of the Mesopotamian world where the ritual tradition against Lamashtu was codified and transmitted. Babylonian texts are the richest written sources on Pazuzu's protective role.

Nippur (modern Nuffar, Iraq)

A major religious and intellectual center of ancient Mesopotamia, where libraries of cuneiform tablets preserved numerous ritual texts referencing wind demons and exorcism practices.