Supernatural Friday: Sumerian and Mesopotamian Underworld-Rachel Coles

Author Rachel Coles is my guest blogger for Supernatural Friday today. Leave a comment and be entered to win an eBook of her YA paranormal romance novel, Pazuzu's Girl.

Hi Pamela, thank you for hosting me on your blog for Supernatural Friday!

For this Supernatural Friday, I wanted to introduce folks to the Sumerian and Mesopotamian Underworld, known also as Irkalla or Arallu, and the goddess responsible for the Underworld, Ereshkigal. The concept of the Underworld explained in many of the tablets is not like the Christian concept of hell, almost the opposite in one critical way. One of the worst punishments was to be denied entrance. No one wants to be dead, unless they can be a vampire like those romanticized in shows like True Blood. But as it is an inevitability, the Underworld was a necessity for most people. It was somewhere people could go afterwards, home for the dead, someplace they belonged, whether saints or sinners.

However, unlike European Christianity, people who had died in particularly terrible ways which would distress the spirit or people who had not been buried properly, would not go to the Underworld. They would wander the earth as dangerous spirits known as ekimmu. They had no place to go, and so would take revenge on the living and linger around the human world, feeding off the people they haunted. They were believed to have possessed people and caused the possessed to do terrible things. They brought disease, and they could suck the life out of people as they slept. They were in some ways similar to the Western perception of vampires, except that they did not suck blood, and were not undead. They had no corporeal bodies. They were invisible, which in my mind is worse. You can drive a stake through a vampire, or at least punch him before he kills you. But ekimmu had no bodies. Like certain Japanese types of ghosts, these were bodiless spirits that could reach through the veil of death and affect the living. Despite that the Underworld was never described as a happy place, the ekimmu appeared to be some of the most unfortunate of the denizens of the dead. In Pazuzu's Girl, the victims of Lamashtu died and were consumed by the demoness. So they became ekimmu. After such a terrible fate, they were corrupted and denied entrance to the Underworld since they would be uncontrollable. And as Queen Ereshkigal said, she didn't want to be a prison warden. 

The Underworld was presided over by Ereshkigal. She was described as the elder sister of Inanna, goddess of love and war. Ereshkigal was the only one who could pass judgement on the dead and determine their fate in the Underworld, whether they would be rewarded or punished according to their deeds. She had two husbands. Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven who corresponded to the constellation Taurus, and was the monster sent against the hero Gilgamesh for rejecting the marriage advances of her sister Inanna. Her second husband, Nergal was a god of war and pestilence. But for the most part, Ereshkigal appeared to be dominant in her rule of the underworld. One interesting feature of her reign in the Underworld was that she began as a sun goddess. Much like the Greek Persephone, she was lured to the the Underworld by the dragon Kur who was in love with her. He trapped her and by the time her brother Enki went to rescue her, it was too late. She had transformed into a goddess of death. In Pazuzu's Girl, she is manipulative, and harsh, but not really characterized as evil. When I wrote about the Anunnaki, the Children of Anu the creator god, I thought of them as primal forces, or in some cases processes conforming to principles like entropy. Absu, one of the most ancient gods, was referred to as the primal waters, before things had form. So I thought of him as an ally to a goddess like Ereshkigal, whom I thought of as a force similar to the super black holes at the core of galaxies, or maybe even at the core of the universe, absorbing light and matter. In some ways, this was how I envisioned the Underworld. I thought of these gods literally as supernatural, not as outside nature, but supremely basic nature, the very essence of physics and natural forces.

And in much myth, gods transformed in successive waves of invasion and assimilation in regions like Mesopotamia, into demons. One intriguing demon, the subject of various supernatural thrillers like the Exorcist, was Pazuzu, Demon of Famine and Pestilence, and the Southwest Wind. He was characterized in the archaeological finds as being emaciated, having a canine or lion's face, and locust wings. People in the ancient world dreaded locusts because in many cases, it meant starvation after the insects had devoured their crops. Pestilence often followed on the heels of famine as starving people fell to disease. However, one of the most interesting features of Pazuzu was that while perceived as terrifying and evil, he was also used for protection. Amulets of him were used to ward off his even more evil wife Lamashtu, who was believed to target infants and mothers, probably by childbed fever and sudden infant death syndrome. I always wondered what kind of a strange marital relationship such creatures might have. And one thing that has been speculated occasionally is that there could be a link between an ambiguous character in Sumerian myth called the Imdugud Bird or Anzu Bird in the Assyrian version, and Pazuzu, demon of the desert wastes. Anzu/Imdugud was ambiguous because on the one hand, he stole the Tablet of Destiny from the king of the gods Enlil, and was destroyed for it by Ninurta. But on the other hand, he did good things, such as reward the father of Gilgamesh by leading him from the mountains back to the army from which the warrior had been lost.

Now, I'd like to introduce you to some of the gods and demons of Sumer, Assyria, and Babylon, at least as I imagined them, and how they might deal with the modern world. In this story, which began as my parental forecasting of what we might be facing as we raise our future teenager, the Assyrian demon Pazuzu, hides in suburban Denver, where he has to raise his very human-like, very teenage daughter, while escaping from his demonic wife Lamashtu. Here is a description of Pazuzu's Girl:

Morpho Wilson thought her life was difficult enough. Her father is Pazuzu, the Mesopotamian demon of plague and the Southwest wind. As a teenager, Morpho struggles against her father, while trying to adjust to high school in a new neighborhood. The family is constantly moving in an attempt to elude Pazuzu’s murderous ex-wife, a demoness known for killing children.

Then something interesting happens. A socially-impaired classmate becomes so intrigued by Morpho that he pursues her, despite the mystery surrounding her family and the danger that accompanies it.

But before their romance can grow, the demoness tracks Morpho down, and now only needs an ancient artifact called the Tablet of Destiny to complete the destruction of the world. The tablet confers on its owner the ability to control the fate of everything and everyone on earth.

Once the tablet is discovered in the Middle East, the oldest and most powerful gods begin a battle for its possession, with the human population caught in the middle. Morpho, her family, and her new friend must decide, do they escape from the horrifying demoness or fight for their own destiny? How far will Pazuzu go to save his daughter from a hellish fate? Will his banishment from Heaven so many millennia ago end up being a curse...or a blessing?

Blurb:

Morpho Wilson thought her life was difficult enough. Her father is Pazuzu, the Mesopotamian demon of plague and the Southwest wind. As a teenager Morpho struggles against her father, while trying to adjust to high school in a new neighborhood. The family is constantly moving in an attempt to elude Pazuzu’s murderous ex-wife, a demoness known for killing children.

Then something unique happens. A socially-impaired classmate becomes so intrigued by Morpho that he pursues her, despite the mystery surrounding her family and the danger that accompanies it.

But before their romance can grow the demoness tracks Morpho down, and now only needs an ancient artifact called the Tablet of Destiny to complete the destruction of the world. The tablet confers on its owner the ability to control the fate of everything and everyone on earth.

Once the tablet is discovered in the Middle East, the oldest and most powerful gods begin a battle for its possession, with the human population caught in the middle. Morpho, her family, and her new friend must decide, do they escape from the horrifying demoness or fight for their own destiny. How far will Pazuzu go to save his daughter from a hellish fate? Will his banishment from Heaven so many millennia ago end up being a curse...or a blessing?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335212-pazuzu-s-girl - #

Pazuzu’s Girl Excerpt:

Morpho shook out her brilliant blue hair in front of the mirror behind the door of her pink room. She threw on her torn leather jacket over a ruffled pink sock that passed for a mini-dress. She flounced down the stairs, grabbed her Tinker Bell backpack and the peanut butter toast her father’s servant had left, and plopped her skateboard on the tiles of the front porch. One of them dislodged as she jumped the board down the steps.

 A loud chatter emerged from the thousands of grasshoppers that hid throughout the partially eaten lawn and manicured bushes. She heard them as though they spoke in English.

I know you’re mad at me, but was that really necessary? Lugal just fixed those. Are you angry with him as well?  A couple of grasshoppers fluttered after her and hitched a bumpy ride on the strap of her pack before crawling up to her shoulder.

She rolled her eyes and did a rattling jump just for their benefit. “No, Dad. I’m not mad at him. And not everything I do is just to piss you off.” Her lips set in a grim line and she rode in silence.

The grasshoppers twittered and hung on as she took the curbs as hard as possible. Then to what do we owe your sunny mood?

She glowered. “I’m a freak. We are freaks.” She whirled her finger in a circle to include everyone around her in freak-dom.

You dyed your hair blue. That’s generally not what people do when they are trying to avoid attention,  her dad gently reminded her.

“I’m laying my cards on the table. We have to replace the lawn and shrubs every couple days because you eat everything in the yard. And everyone thinks Lugal is your love slave. Our differences aren't exactly ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell.’ By the way, we got another fine from the stupid housing association. They’re threatening to send pest control.”The grasshoppers chirped. “I’ll deal with them. And I thought you liked Lugal.”

“I do like him. But you might want to let him know everyone thinks he’s your boyfriend, partner...whatever.” She flipped her board up and stormed into the school hall, late for class, as the grasshoppers flitted away. 

*   *   *

Thousands of grasshoppers emerged from nooks and crannies throughout the denuded sod in front of 248 Rowan Street, Ken Caryl, Colorado. As they flooded into the hallway of the house from the moist April breeze outside, the swarm of glittering wings and golden-brown bodies condensed into the figure of a tall thin man with golden eyes, black hair and slightly canine features around the mouth. Pazuzu, Demon of the Air and the Southwest Wind, stalked into his suburban home to deal with the four-hundredth letter from his homeowner's association and ruminate on how to handle an angsty teenage daughter.

Lugal, an equally tall, sturdy man with dark features and a hawk's nose, dropped to his knees and bowed his face to the floor as Pazuzu entered. His palms flattened on the ground in obeisance. His right hand was marred by rough white scar tissue across the palm and wrist. “Lord, what is your will?”

Pazuzu motioned the man to his feet. “I accept your loyalty,” he nodded, “but you have not bowed to me since the first time we met, except when you have done something you knew would displease me. What have you done?” He glowered.

Lugal raised a carefully-groomed eyebrow and his eyelid twitched for a moment. “I have not seen such a look on your face for many years. I thought you might benefit from an old formality.”

Pazuzu's lips curled up in a smile that looked like a grimace. “Did you see Morpho's attire? We are supposed to maintain a low profile!”

 Lugal's white teeth flashed and the other eyebrow rose. “Forgive my impudence, Lord, but have you seen some of the other children at the high school? She is fitting in.”

Pazuzu met the dark man’s eyes and they both burst into deep rolling laughter. Pazuzu sank down into the tasteful but nondescript kitchen chair and picked up the HOA letter. He took the content in at a glance and tossed it back on the table. “She told me about this.”

“What will you do?” Lugal brought pungent-smelling cardamom tea to the table.

“I will be the indignant homeowner at one of their silly meetings. They have been fining us since we arrived more than a year ago. It gives them something to do and makes them feel important, happy with their power. Happy neighbors are quiet neighbors.”

“But they have threatened to hire extermination services.” Lugal sipped his tea, watching Pazuzu warily.

Pazuzu leaned forward slightly, and his golden irises lit from within, then faded. “I will dissuade them.”

 Lugal was silent for a moment. “Has there been any sign of her? Of the Scourge? My spies have detected nothing yet.”

Agitation distorted Pazuzu’s lips into a snarl, making him look more canine than ever. “No. Not aside from the usual events in the news lately. The bombings, the shootings, in many of the nations near the old kingdom, near Uruk. I see nothing direct, only her influence.”

“She is subtle. That is how she gained her power before you left her. What will you do should she find Morpho?”

Pazuzu’s eyes flashed and a rasping breeze lifted in the room. Lugal quietly placed his scarred hand on the napkins to keep them from skittering off the table. Pazuzu’s voice was like the sound of a million furious, buzzing insects as he answered, “I will protect my child.”

Pazuzu's Girl is available on Amazon, Kindle, BarnesandNoble-Print, and Nook, and  the  Journalstone  website. It is available in both paperback and e-book. We're doing an e-book giveaway today. If you get the book for the giveaway it would be really terrific to hear what you think! Please review it on any of the above sites or on Goodreads .

I want to thank Pamela again for hosting me today on Supernatural Friday!

Rachel Cole

Rachel’s Biography:

Rachel Coles lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and young daughter. She was trained in cultural anthropology and epidemiology, and currently works in public health. She and her husband love watching and reading science fiction, urban fantasy and horror, and challenging each other with obscure geek trivia. They are also proudly raising one of the youngest Trekkies in the state. If you want to talk with Rachel Coles, she can be found on Facebook as Rachel Bernstein Coles, on Twitter as rcoles66, or on her website at http://www.rachelcoles.wordpress.com