| Lahmu | |
|---|---|
 Lahmu, the protective spirit from Nineveh, 900–612 BCE, Mesopotamia.British Museum. | |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Abzu andTiamat (Enuma Elish) or Anu's ancestors such as Dari and Duri (Anu theogony) |
| Consort | his sisterLahamu (Enuma Elish) |
| Children | Anshar andKishar (Enuma Elish) orAlala and Belili (Anu theogony) |
| Part ofa series on |
| Religion in Mesopotamia |
|---|
 |
Seven gods who decree |
Minor deities
|
Demigods and heroes |
Genealogy |
Laḫmu (𒀭𒌓𒈬 or𒀭𒈛𒈬,dlaḫ-mu,lit. 'hairy one') is a class ofapotropaic creatures fromMesopotamian mythology. While the name has its origin in aSemitic language, Lahmu was present inSumerian sources in pre-Sargonic times already.[1]
Laḫmu is depicted as a bearded man wearing a red garment (tillû).[2] Some texts mention aspade as the attribute of Lahmu.[3][4] The artistic representations are sometimes called "naked heroes" in literature.
Lahmu were associated with water. They were generally believed to be servants ofEnki/Ea (and later on of his sonMarduk as well), and were described as the doorkeepers of his temple inEridu and possibly as the "guardians of the sea" known from some versions of theAtra-Hasis. Some texts list as many as 50 Lahmu in such roles. It is possible they were initially river spirits believed to take care of domestic and wild animals.[5]
Apotropaic creatures such as Lahmu were not regarded as demonic; they protected the household from demons. However, myths may depict them as defeated and subsequently reformed enemies of the gods. At the same time, they were not viewed as fully divine, as their names were rarely if ever, preceded by thedingir sign ("divine determinative") and they do not wear horned tiaras (a symbol of divinity) in art.[6]
In apotropaic rituals, Lahmu was associated with other monsters, for examplemušḫuššu,bašmu (a type of mythical snake),kusarikku (bison-men associated withShamash) orUgallu.[7]
In god lists, a singular Lahmu sometimes appears among the ancestors ofAnu alongside a feminine counterpart (Lahamu), following the primordial pair Duri and Dari (eternity) and other such figures and precedingAlala and Belili.[8] Assyriolgist Frans Wiggermann, who specializes in the study of origins and development of Mesopotamian apotropaic creatures and demons, assumes that this tradition had its origin inUpper Mesopotamia.[9] Lahmu and Lahamu are not necessarily siblings in this context. Long lists of divine ancestors ofEnlil or Anu from some god lists were at least sometimes meant to indicate that the gods worshiped by the Mesopotamians were not the product of incestuous relationships.Wilfred G. Lambert wrote, "The history of these two [theogonies] shows that steps were sometimes taken quite specifically to avoid the implication of incest, which was socially taboo."[10]
In theEnūma Eliš, compiled at a later date and relying on the tradition mentioned above, Lahmu is the first-born son ofAbzu andTiamat. He and his sisterLaḫamu are the parents ofAnshar andKishar, parents of Anu and thus ancestors of Ea and Marduk according to this specific theogony.[11] Both of them bestow 3 names upon Marduk after his victory.[12] However, Lahmu – presumably of the same variety as the apotropaic rather than cosmological one – also appears among Tiamat's monsters.[13]
A fragmentary Assyrian rewrite of Enuma Elish replaced Marduk withAshur, equated withAnshar, with Lahmu and Lahamu replacing Ea/Enki andDamkina.Wilfred G. Lambert described the result as "completely superficial in that it leaves the plot in chaos by attributing Marduk's part to his great-grandfather, without making any attempt to iron out the resulting confusion."[14]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(December 2021) |
19th and early 20th century authors asserted that Lahmu represents thezodiac, parent stars, orconstellations.[15][16]