Lamassu

Lama, Lamma, or Lamassu (Cuneiform: ð’€­ð’†—, an.kal; Sumerian: dlammaÅ™; later in Akkadian: lamassu; sometimes called a lamassuse)[1][2] is an Assyrian protective deity.[3]

Initially depicted as a goddess in Sumerian times, when it was called Lamma, it was later depicted from Assyrian times as a hybrid of a human, bird, and either a bull or lion—specifically having a human head, the body of a bull or a lion, and bird wings, under the name Lamassu.[3][4] In some writings, it is portrayed to represent a goddess.[5] A less frequently used name is shedu (Cuneiform: 𒀭𒆘, an.kal×bad; Sumerian: dalad; Akkadian, šēdu), which refers to the male counterpart of a lamassu.[6] Lamassu represent the zodiacs, parent-stars or constellations.[7][8]

  1. ^ Kriwaczek, Paul (2010). Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization. St. Martin's Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-250-05416-6.
  2. ^ "Kaskal: Rivista di storia, ambiente e culture del vicino oriente antico. Volume 6, 2009". LoGisma editore. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GL109 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Lamassu". Livius.org. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  5. ^ Beaulieu, Paul-Alain (2003). The Pantheon of Uruk During the Neo-Babylonian Period. Brill. p. 137. ISBN 90-04-13024-1.
  6. ^ Black, Jeremy; Green, Anthony (2003). An Illustrated Dictionary: Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia. The British Museum Press. ISBN 0-7141-1705-6.
  7. ^ Hewitt, J.F. (1901). History and Chronology of the Myth-Making Age. James Parker and Company. p. 85.
  8. ^ King, Leonard W. (1902). Enuma Elish Vol 1 & 2: The Seven Tablets of Creation; The Babylonian and Assyrian Legends Concerning the Creation of the World and of Mankind. Luzac and Co. p. 78.
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