Irrational Architecture 48

 

 “I SLEEP IN A RACING CAR. DO YOU?”

“I SLEEP IN A BIG BED WITH MY WIFE.”

“OH. YEAH.”

SOD OFF FATTY, YOU’RE WEARING THIN.

In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu (is a demonic deity who was well known to the Babylonians and Assyrians throughout the first millennium BCE. He is shown with "a rather canine face with abnormally bulging eyes, a scaly body, a snake-headed penis, the talons of a bird and usually wings". He was believed to be the son of the god Hanbi.

He was usually regarded as evil, but he could also sometimes be a beneficent entity who protected against winds bearing pestilence and he was thought to be able to force the demoness Lamashtu, his rival, back to the underworld. Amulets bearing his image were positioned in dwellings to protect infants from Lamashtu and pregnant women frequently wore amulets with his head on them as protection from her.

As an apotropaic entity, he is considered as both a personification of a destructive and dangerous wind, but also as a repellant to other demons, one who safeguards the home from their influence. In particular he protects pregnant women and mothers, defending them from the machinations of Lamashtu. He is invoked in ritual and representations of him are used as defence charms. 

Pazuzu has two chief aspects: firstly as a domestic spirit wherein he is frequently portrayed as benevolent, and secondly as the wandering wind demon traversing the mountains wherein he presents a wilder character. 

There is a well documented use of Pazuzu in Mesopotamian white magic. His inhuman and grotesque form can be inferred to[vague] have been used to frighten away unwanted guests, as well as prevent his wind-demon subjects from entering the home and wreaking havoc. His role in magic and ritual is documented within inscriptions on the backs of his statues, or in ritual texts. Spells, incantations, and special artifacts were used to gain the favour and protection of the demon, such as artifacts being placed in and around the home or worn on the person to achieve the desired effect. 

Large numbers of Pazuzu heads have been discovered, made from a variety of materials; chiefly terracotta, but also bronze, iron, gold, glass, and bone. These heads often feature holes or loops at the top, allowing them to be worn on necklaces by pregnant women in order to protect the baby from evil forces. Occasionally, the heads would be attached to cylinder seals or worn as brooches as well. Some of these heads have been found in graves.

Given the number of artifacts uncovered, it can be inferred that Pazuzu enjoyed great popularity, and the uniformity of the heads, amulets, and statues demonstrates that representations of the demon-god were mass-produced.

In the bilingual (Sumerian and Akkadian) version of the Compendia, Pazuzu identifies himself:

"I am Pazuzu, son of Ḫanbu, king of the evil lilû-demons. I was enraged (in violent motion) against the strong mountains and ascended them."

Another text also narrated by him describes Pazuzu encountering other lilû demons in his travels, and breaking their wings, therefore preventing them from inflicting 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 another text he is perceived as more malicious, as the narrator addresses him as "Agony of Mankind", "Suffering of Mankind", "Disease of Mankind", and chants telling the demon to not enter the home.

His father is Hanbi, "The staggering one" or "The perverted one".

Lilû (wind) demons are the class to which Pazuzu and his subjects belong.

Another scholar, Scott Noegel, asserts that Pazuzu's possession of four wings links to the term kippatu, meaning "circle, loop, circumference, and totality", suggesting his control over all cardinal directions of wind inherited from his predecessors.

On some amulets, Pazuzu appears alongside Ugallu and Lulal, protective deities who were thought to solely benefit mankind thus their presences here may be apotropaic, or deployed to minimise Pazuzu's maleficent aspect. Their common positioning on the back of the amulet out of sight of the viewer could suggest the latter.

According to Wiggermann, the Pazuzu figure suddenly appeared in the Early Iron Age. His first visual depictions are not attested until the 8th century BC with the first finds being in the tombs of Nimrud, and his first appearances in texts trace to the 7th century BC. The majority of his representations were found in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, with the most recent finds dating back to the time of the Seleucid Empire.

 

 

Dead Trace 2

 

Gravity Rot 21

 

"YOU GOT IT, BABY." 329