Laḫmu

Laḫmu is a deity in Babylonian and Akkadian mythology who is believed to have been born when the waters of the freshwater personification Abzu and the saltwater personification Tiamat mixed before the birth of the world in the early twilight of Chaos. The story is told in the Babylonian creation story Enūma eliš .

Laḫmu and his sister and wife Laḫamu were the first deities believed to have emerged from the early sea. They usually represent mud, but in some texts they are described as snakes, possibly because the movement of the meandering snake resembles the waves. In fact, some scholars believe that Laḫmu and Laḫamu are just other names for Tiamat. Laḫmu and Laḫamu do not play a significant role in Babylonian mythology, except that they are the parents of Anšar and Kišar . In Sumerian mythology, the word Lahama referred to water demons that were a slave to Enki .

literature

• Lurker, Manfred: A Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987. ISBN 0-203-67189-9