In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology, Pazuzu was the king of the demons of wind, and son of the god Hanbi. For the Sumerians he also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms.

Mythology

Pazuzu is often depicted with the body of a man but with the head of a lion or dog, talons instead of feet, two pairs of wings, the tail of a scorpion and a serpentine penis. He is also depicted with the right hand upward, and the left hand downward; the position of the hands means life and death, or creation and destruction.

Pazuzu is the demon of the South-west wind that was known for bringing droughts and famine during dry seasons, and locusts during rainy seasons. Pazuzu was invoked in amulets aimed at fighting against the powers of his hated rival, the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Pazuzu is also a demon who protected humans against plague and evil forces, in particular the demoness Lamashtu.

In popular culture

• At the beginning of the book and film The Exorcist, when Father Merrin is at the site of an archaelogical dig in Northern Iraq, the figure that threatens him — seemingly an illusion — is Pazuzu, whom he had battled many years earlier. Later, when he is appointed to perform the exorcism on Regan, he suspects it is Pazuzu that possesses her. The 1977 sequel film The Heretic also deals with Pazuzu.
  • A prequel, The Beginning (2004), deals with Father Merrin's earlier battle with Pazuzu in 1949 in East Africa, with Stellan Skarsgård as Father Merrin.
• There are several heavy metal bands named Pazuzu.
• Some video games use Pazuzu as a likeness for enemies, for example, Dracula's final form in _Dracula's_Curse.
• The name or figure of Pazuzu is also referenced in a number of other fictional works; see Pazuzu (disambiguation) for further information.
• In the Futurama episode "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles", Professor Farnsworth has a gargoyle who he names Pazuzu.
• In the band Gorillaz, Nicals; the satanic bassist of the group owns a Pazuzu statue in their graveyard.
  • In the Gorillaz music video Rock It, a statue of Pazuzu is featured.

External links

• The Demon of the South-West Wind
• Oriental Institute of Chicago figure of Pazuzu

Akkadian mythology | Demons | Film villains | Sumerian mythology

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