Pazuzu

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Pazuzu is the main antagonist, demon & character from The Exorcist Franchise, The Pazuzu amulet.

Pazuzu (Akkadian: 𒀭𒅆𒊒𒍪𒍪 Dpà.zu.zu; also called Fazuzu or Pazuza) was an Assyrian and Babylonian demon god of the first millennium BCE. He is the king of the wind demons, brother of Humbaba and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwest wind, the bringer of storms and drought. Pazuzu appears as a demon who possesses Regan MacNeil, Cheche, Damien Karras & Kokumo.

Pictures of Pazuzu are commonly used in screamers, including Where's Waldo?, as well as in other games and on websites.

Eileen Dietz

Pazuzu's face and the role were played by Eileen Dietz and the late Mercedes McCambridge in the 1973 film.

Representation

It is depicted with a canine face with abnormally bulging eyes, a scaly body, a penis ending in a snake, the heels of a bird, and usually birds. It has one hand raised and the other lowered. Its tail is that of a scorpion.

Function

He is generally considered an evil demon of the underworld, but he appears to have played a beneficial role as a protector against pestilent winds (especially the west wind). Pazuzu is the demon of the southwest wind, known for bringing famine during the dry season and locusts during the rainy season.

King of Demons

Like Bagdana, Iqarus/Tiqos, Buznay, and Ašmedai, he is considered in Aramaic magical bowls as a "king of demons." The "king of demons" appears to have been a prototypical figure with several names, although predominantly Bagdana. It was probably an epithet or name of a type of demon and not a unique personal name of this monarch.

The king of demons is linked to mountains and gusts of wind, characterised by his wings and bird-like talons. He speaks in the first person. He is often invoked to drive away other demons, especially Liliths. This combat is reflected in the Akkadian incantation: "I was enraged with the strong mountain and I ascended it," vanquishing all its winds. Furthermore, this phrase was preserved in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, where Raziel overcomes evil spirits, assuming the role of king of demons: "...and he ascended the mountains in his anger."

Enchantment

His incantations are usually divided into two parts: an introduction where he presents himself in the first person, written in Sumerian or bilingually in Sumerian-Aramaic, and another in the second person where the summoner speaks to him, written in Aramaic.

In incantations, he is closely associated with Lamashtu, who was believed to harm the mother and child during childbirth. He forced her back to the underworld. Pazuzu amulets were therefore placed in dwellings or, sometimes, in the form of just his head, hung around the necks of pregnant women. Although Pazuzu himself is considered an evil spirit, he drives away and frightens other evil spirits, thus protecting humans from plagues and misfortunes. However, some incantations implore Pazuzu not to use his immense destructive power against humanity.

Links

• "The Exorcist" film (Wikipedia article)
• All Screamers Featuring Pazuzu

NOTE: The following link contains a screamer image!

• qu.ax/YUvz.png
• Second version: qu.ax/bFvD.png

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