Pazuzu Statuette

Pazuzu Statuette

This is a bronze statuette of Pazuzu, king of the evil wind demons. Pazuzu was a demon with the body of a scorpion and the legs and talons of a bird. He had four feathered wings, two lion-like faces (front and back), a double beard below his chin, and a set of horns on the top of his head. Despite his appearance, Pazuzu was not entirely unfriendly to humankind, for he was often called upon to fight against the demon, Lamashtu, a misbegotten daughter of the sky-god Anu, who threatened pregnant women, young mothers, and babies. The loop on the top of this statuette suggests that it might have been an amulet used as protection during childbirth.