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Demoness Lamashtu Amulet
Amulet depicting a Lamashtu standing on a donkey and suckling a jackal and a wild pig, from Northern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, c. 800-550 BCE.
Lamashtu prayed on women in childbirth and newborn infants. She has a lion's head, wings, and eagle's talons. Amulet images show suckling animals and riding a donkey in a boat with the special items described in the rituals against her. Such amulets were usually hung up in bedrooms to repel the demoness Lamashtu.
The British Museum, London.
Questions & Answers
What is the oldest known image of a ghost?
- The oldest known image of a ghost is the Ghost Tablet from ancient Babylon dated to c. 1500 BCE.
How did an amulet protect one from a ghost or demon?
- The amulet was created in the image of a protective figure – a god, goddess, dog, sacred plant – and that image would invoke the power of that protector. In ancient Mesopotamia and China, a dog amulet would serve to protect you if you had no actual dog at your side.
Is Pazuzu an evil demon?
- The word “demon” in the ancient world had a different meaning than it does today. Pazuzu was a demon – meaning a supernatural entity neither good nor evil – and his image often appears on protective amulets and charms. Pazuzu was, unfortunately, misrepresented in the film The Exorcist, and is in no way associated with the Christian Satan.
Is Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, really haunted?
- Bhangarh Fort has a reputation as the most haunted place in India. Whether it really is, though, is a matter of personal belief. The site is closed from sunset to sunrise by order of the government, however, based on the belief that it is haunted and the living would be endangered visiting at night.
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