So I’m creating the mythology and history of The Angel Project. I discovered the Lamassu, spirits who were protectors and guardians in Anciet Mesopotamia.
“The image of the Assyrian winged bull or lion is one of the most familiar and enduring symbols of the ancient Near East. These protective spirits… were typically placed at the entrances of important buildings such as palaces, temples, and other significant structures, to serve as guardians. The Lamassu, as they were known, were associated with the gods and goddesses of Mesopotamian mythology, and were believed to possess the power to protect people and their property from harm. They were often depicted in ancient art as powerful, winged creatures with a human head and the body of a bull or lion, conveying their ability to move between the earthly and spiritual realms, and to serve as protectors and guides for those who invoked their power.”
The Lamassu are composite creatures of Mesopotamian mythology, and their origins can be traced back to the late 4th millennium BC. While it is difficult to determine exactly which ancient Mesopotamian culture first engendered the Lamassu, it is generally believed that the Sumerians played a significant role in their development.
The Lamassu ….
- Lamassu or Lama/Lamma was a Mesopotamian goddess
- She was often shown as female, but as time went on, she was occasionally portrayed as male or even genderless
- Sometimes, her name is used to describe many spirits/deities
- Her male counterpart is called Shedu
- She first emerged during the Sumerian period, but later during Assyrian times, she became a hybrid god/goddess, half-animal and half-human
- Lamassu was considered a protective figure, and as time went on, various artwork showed just how valued she was as a protector
- She was also considered to be a mediating deity between the other gods and was known to represent the zodiac and the constellations
- Scholars gave her the name Lamassu because a statue of her was unearthed in Uruk in Mesopotamia, and this goddess was called Lamma
- Other similar figures that are believed to be her were unearthed over time. They all had similar features: a ruffled dress, a horned tiara, and arms raised up to the sky
- During the Assyrian period, new images of the goddess emerged, depicting her with five legs, bird’s wings, a human head, and the body of a bull or a lion
- This idea of a hybrid deity was a very common image in the Near East
- It was very popular especially during the Assyrian period. During that time, statues of Lamassu were seen at entrances to important buildings, one on either side of the entrance to palaces and even homes
- Sometimes, people would draw Lamassu on clay tablets and bury them at the threshold of their doors to protect their houses
- These images can be seen in many places, and artwork of her is found today in many museums around the world
- Sadly, in 2015, the huge Lamassu statue in Nineveh, Iraq, was destroyed by ISIS
- They bored out her eyes with a drill to show that they have conquered the area
- As a way of “retaliation,” a professor from the US remade the sculpture with Iraqi date syrup cans, and it is now displayed in Trafalgar Square
- Lamassu appears in “Dungeons & Dragons,” “The Lion, the Witch, & The Wardrobe,” “Aladdin,” and is the symbol of the logo of the US Armed Forces – Iraq