Lamassu

You can watch the associated Suroyo TV broadcast (in Turkish) with journalist Yawsef Beth Turo and Nurgül Çelebi here.

By Nurgül Çelebi

Origin and meaning of the symbol

Lamassu is generally regarded as a protective deity with the head of a human, the body of a bull or lion, and the wings of an eagle. Perhaps the most magnificent of many statues from the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires is Lamassu. Its gigantic dimensions, powerful muscles and ready-to-attack positions transform the Lamassu figure into a feared deity. The figure of Lamassu, as a protective symbol of the Devil’s Hive, was formed by combining the body of a bull, eagle’s wings, and a human head to express monumental power and authority. This divine figure, whose origin is Assyrian and Babylonian, was considered as the guardian spirit of the houses of Mesopotamian society. It was also widely believed to represent power and supernatural or earthly authority. These gigantic statues, which we usually come across at the entrances of palaces and temples, are sometimes carved into clay tablets and then buried under the door sill to protect the houses. Lamassu, which is mentioned in some inscriptions as a female deity, represents zodiac signs, main stars, and constellations. Although the motif of a winged animal with a human head is common in Mesopotamia and the Near East, depictions of Lamassu first appear in Ebla around 3000 BC.

The most prominent Lamassu motif appears in Assyria during the II. Tiglath-Pileser period as a symbol of power. During the archaeological excavations carried out in different parts of the Mesopotamian region, many Lamassu statues were found. Some of them are exhibited in the world’s largest museums such as the British Museum, Louvre and Pergamon.

It is known that during the Assyrian period, Lamassu statues, which were generally located at the entrances of the palaces and facing the street, were also placed at the entrances facing the inner courtyards from time to time. Therefore, Lamassu is intended to be protective against both external and internal hazards.

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Lamassu in other civilizations

As far as is known, it existed iconographically in Sumer before the Lamassu’s statue in Ebla. Lamassu, who is described as a physical god in the Gilgamesh epic, represents the parent stars as a male and female couple.

Although Lamassu has a different iconography and depiction in Sumerian culture, the words “lamassu”, “alad” and “shedu” evolved from Sumerian culture to denote the Assyrian-winged-man-bull symbol during the Neo-Assyrian period throughout Assyro-Akkadian culture. Moreover, the female Lamassu was eventually identified as “apsasu”. In Hittite and Sumerian, the word “lamma” was used both as a name for the “tutor god” and similarly as a title for guardian deities. In some texts from later periods, it is mentioned that this word is also used for the goddess Inara, the goddess of steppe animals and the daughter of the storm god Teshub/Tarhunt in Hurrian mythology.

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Reflection In Monotheistic Religions

The ancient Jewish people were influenced by the iconography of Assyrian culture. It is not surprising that such a powerful figure as Lamassu also appears in Judaism and other monotheistic religions. In particular, it is possible to see Lamassu depictions in the Holy Books. For example, we come across various passages written by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 9:3, 41:25, 10:4) about a fantastic being called a kerubim, or angel, composed of human, lion, eagle, and bull forms. Here, the singular form of the word kerub, is thought to be possibly derived from Akkadian.  The noun-verb form of the word Karābu, which is the verb to bless, kāribu means “blessing”, and it is a term used for Lamassu. According to the Abrahamic religion, the Kerub is one of the supernatural beings who are directly subordinate to God. There are many different depictions of the Kerubim, but most importantly they are given the role of guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden. Just like with Lamassu.

In the early Christian period, we see that the four Gospels were attributed to each of these components, namely man, lion, eagle, and bull. When these figures were depicted in art, this image was called a Tetramorph. Tetramorph is a symbolic embodiment of the combination of four different elements or the combination of four disparate elements in one unit. The term is derived from the Greek tetra, meaning four, and morph, shape. Each element and figure of this symbol, which is considered a reference to the unity of the four Evangelical gospels, points to the depiction of Lamassu. Besides, in the Western Christian tradition, cherubs are depicted as angels, similar to Eros. Therefore, the cherubs begin to be depicted as small, plump, winged children.

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Lamassu, which assumes adjectives such as power, leadership, and protection has been used in many places as a symbol. It continued to be a protective figure in the accessories as well as the flags and pennants of Syriac societies. Moreover, the British 10th Army operating in Iraq and Iran in 1942-1943 used Lamassu as an emblem. A bearded man with the body of a winged bull appears in the logo of the United States Forces in Iraq. Lamassu, which has become a very common symbol, continues to be used and kept alive in different ways in daily life as well as taking the lead in museums.

May the guardian spirit of Lamassu be with you!

Nurgül Çelebi was born in 1985 in Istanbul. She holds a master’s degree from the Syriac Language and Culture Department at Mardin Artuklu University with her thesis on Sun and Moon Symbolism in Syriac literature. She continues her Ph.D. program in the history of religions at Ankara University with her thesis on “Sin-Shamash Duality and Its Reflection on Religions”. She is currently continuing her second Ph.D. in the Assyrian History doctorate program at ELTE University in Budapest.

Nurgül Çelebi works on Mesopotamian beliefs and mythologies and published papers on these subjects. In addition to academic studies, she has published three novels in Turkish: “Yarına Dokunmak“, “Aşka Dokunmak”, and “Tanrı Dağı”. Her stories have appeared in five anthologies: “Karanlıktaki Kadınlar”, “Hayalet Müzik”, “Eskilerin Şöleni”, “Dark Antoloji Birinci Kitap”, and “Dark Antoloji İkinci Kitap”.