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Lamaštu and the dogs

2007; Volume: 16; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

2663-6573

Walter Farber,

Biblical Studies and Interpretation

Lamastu, the Daughter of Anu, hardly needs an introduction. This fearful demon who imposed deadly dangers on pregnant women and new-borns not only was the subject (or, maybe more accurately, the object) of a number of incantations and rituals which eventually were united into a canonical series of three tablets, best preserved in copies from Assurbanipal's library in Nineveh. She also was depicted on many protective amulets which must have been very popular throughout much of Western Asia, again mainly during the first millennium, judging from their number and geographical distribution which spans from Persia to Southern Anatolia and Palestine.