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{{short description|Mesopotamian apotropaic figure}}
{{Infobox deity|type=mesopotamian|image=Lahmu, Nineveh, 900-612 BCE.jpg|caption=Lahmu, the protective spirit from Nineveh, 900-612 BCE, Mesopotamia. [[British Museum]].|children=[[Anshar]] and [[Kishar]] (Enuma Elish) or [[Alalu|Alala]] and Belili (Anu theogony)|parents=[[Abzu]] and [[Tiamat]] (Enuma Elish) or Anu's ancestors such as Dari and Duri (Anu theogony)|consort=his sister [[Lahamu]] (Enuma Elish)}}{{Mesopotamian myth|expanded=1}}

'''Laḫmu''' ({{cuneiform|[[dingir|𒀭]]𒌓𒈬}} or {{cuneiform|𒀭𒈛𒈬}}, <sup>d </sup>laḫ-mu, {{literal translation|hairy one}}) is a class of [[apotropaic]] creatures from [[Mesopotamian mythology]]. While the name has its origin in a [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] language, Lahmu was present in [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] sources in pre-[[Sargon of Akkad|Sargonic]] times already.<ref>F. Wiggermann, [https://www.academia.edu/2393340/Mesopotamian_Protective_Spirits_The_Ritual_Texts ''Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts''], 1992, p. 164-165</ref>

== Iconography and character ==
Laḫmu is depicted as a bearded man wearing a red garment (''tillû'')<ref>{{harvnb|Wiggermann|1992|p=54}}</ref> Some texts mention a [[spade]] as the attribute of Lahmu.<ref>{{harvnb|Wiggermann|1992|p=49}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Wiggermann|1992|p=86}}</ref> The artistic representations are sometimes called "naked heroes" in literature.

Lahmu were associated with water. They were generally believed to be servants of [[Enki]]/Ea (and later on of his son [[Marduk]] as well), and were described as the doorkeepers of his temple in [[Eridu]] and possibly as the "guardians of the sea" known from some versions of the ''[[Atra-Hasis]]''. Some texts list as many as 50 Lahmu in such roles. It's possible they were initially river spirits believed to take care of domestic and wild animals.<ref>{{harvnb|Wiggermann|1992|p=164-166}}</ref>

Apotropaic creatures such as Lahmu weren't 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 weren't viewed as fully divine, as their names were rarely if ever, preceded by the [[dingir]] sign ("divine determinative") and they do not wear horned tiaras (a symbol of divinity) in art.{{harvnb|Wiggermann|1992|p=165}}

In apotropaic rituals, Lahmu was associated with other monsters, for example [[mušḫuššu]], [[bašmu]] (a type of mythical snake), [[kusarikku]] (bison-men associated with [[Shamash]]) or [[Ugallu]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wiggermann|1992|pp=143-145}}</ref>

== As a cosmological being ==
In god lists, a singular  Lahmu sometimes appears among the ancestors of [[Anu]] alongside a feminine counterpart ([[Lahamu]]), following the primordial pair Duri and Dari (eternity) and other such figures and preceding [[Alalu|Alala]] and Belili.<ref>{{harv|Lambert|2013|p=424}}</ref> 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 in [[Upper Mesopotamia]].<ref>{{harv|Wiggermann|1992|pp=154-155}}</ref> Lahmu and Lahamu aren't necessarily siblings in this context. Long lists of divine ancestors of [[Enlil]] or Anu from some god lists were at least sometimes meant to indicate that the gods worshiped by the Mesopotamians weren't 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."<ref>{{harv|Lambert|2013|p=389}}</ref>

In the ''[[Enūma Eliš]]'', compiled at a later date and relying on the tradition mentioned above, Lahmu is the first-born son of [[Abzu]] and [[Tiamat]]. He and his sister [[Lahamu|Laḫamu]] are the parents of [[Anshar]] and [[Kishar]], parents of Anu and thus ancestors of Ea and Marduk according to this specific theogony.<ref>{{harv|Lambert|2013|p=417}}</ref> Both of them bestow 3 names upon Marduk after his victory.<ref>{{harv|Lambert|2013|p=119}}</ref> However, Lahmu - presumably of the same variety as the apotropaic rather than cosmological one - also appears among Tiamat's monsters.<ref>{{harv|Wiggermann|1992|pp=145-150}}</ref>

A fragmentary Assyrian rewrite of Enuma Elish replaced Marduk with [[Ashur (god)|Ashur]], equated with [[Anshar]], with Lahmu and Lahamu replacing Ea/Enki and [[Damkina]]. [[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."<ref>{{harv|Lambert|2013|pp=4-5}}</ref>

== Disproven theories ==
{{Expand section|date=December 2021}}
19th and early 20th century authors asserted that Lahmu represents the zodiac, parent stars, or constellations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hewitt|first1=J.F.|title=History and Chronology of the Myth-Making Age|page=85}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=W. King|first1=Leonard|title=Enuma Elish Vol 1 & 2: The Seven Tablets of Creation; The Babylonian and Assyrian Legends Concerning the Creation of the World and of Mankind|page=78}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book |last1=Lambert |first1=Wilfred G. |author1-link=Wilfred G. Lambert |title=Babylonian Creation Myths |date=2013 |publisher=Penn State University Press |isbn=978-1-57506-861-9 |pages=387–395 |url=https://doi.org/10.1515/9781575068619-030 |chapter=The Theogony of Dunnu|doi=10.1515/9781575068619-030 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Wiggermann |first1=F. A. M. |title=Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts |date=1992 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-72371-52-2 |pages=49, 86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYX64ZkwkMIC |language=en}}
*Michael Jordan, ''Encyclopedia of Gods'', Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002
*Black, Jeremy and Green, Anthony, ''Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia'', University of Texas Press, Austin, 2003.

[[Category:Mesopotamian gods]]
[[Category:Offspring of Tiamat]]
[[Category:Characters in the Enūma Eliš]]