Notably, this was the first known Mesopotamian iconography to merge multiple animal components; prior to Pazuzu, iconography typically only featured a single animal body part on a human body. Hanpu is his father. He has many a connection to other wind deities, namely Lamashtu and the Lilû demons, other protective demons, as well as the foreign Egyptian dwarf deity Bes. Images of Pazuzu are similar to those of other Mesopotamian demons, but with some distinct characteristics. Pazuzu’s head takes on a more rectangular shape and features horns, heavy eyebrows, a two-pronged beard, and an open canine-like mouth displaying his teeth and tongue. In the first film, Linda Blair played Regan. Mercedes McCambridge provided the majority of Pazuzu's dialogue, most notably in all the scenes with Fathers Karras and Merrin. Prior to that, Pazuzu's voice is provided by Linda Blair herself in some scenes, and Ron Faber in others.

El-Kilany, Engy (2017-01-01). "The Protective Role of Bes- image for Women and Children in Ancient Egypt". Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality. 14 (2): 19–28. doi: 10.21608/jaauth.2017.48140. ISSN 1687-1863 . Retrieved 2022-03-26. Pazuzu first appears in ancient Babylonian texts as the King of the Winds, with the purpose of protecting mankind from hardships, other demons, and the more vulnerable, such as pregnant women and children. As noted in World History Encyclopedia, the word “demon” in ancient times had a slightly different meaning from the current understanding. Following the spread of Christianity, demons are considered to be the spawn of Satan, creatures from Hell who enact their evil will over the humans of Earth as well as in Hell.

Pazuzu is the protector of the vulnerable and the innocent

Pazuzu has been featured in numerous spoofs/parodies. A notable example is Scary Movie 2, in which the scenes of the exorcism of Regan are spoofed in the prologue. The character was also spoofed in the film Repossessed; Linda Blair starred in the film and reprised her role as the demon. Perhaps the most baffling thing about Pazuzu is just how difficult it is for archaeologists to determine his origin. Unlike with many other supernatural beings throughout history, there is no real trace of how the common iconography of Pazuzu evolved.

Linda Blair received her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination before it was widely known that previous Supporting Actress winner Mercedes McCambridge had actually provided the voice of the demon. By Academy rules once Blair was given the nomination it could not be withdrawn, but the controversy about Blair being given credit for another actress' work ruined her chances of winning the award. Plaque for protection against the female demon Lamashtu- https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/plaque-protection-against-female-demon-lamashtu After the fall of Akkad, subsequent civilizations continued to believe in Pazuzu. It’s why we see clues about how the game’s title, House of Ashes, is also the equivalent of the underworld in the ancient religion. Because the vampires come from deep beneath the ground, folks started to think that it’s akin to souls being dragged down to the depths. The ancient Assyrians and Babylonians regarded Pazuzu as an evil demon of the underworld who could control the wind, bringing famine during the dry seasons and storms and locusts during the rainy season. Ancient humans tried to offset Pazuzu’s destructive nature by offering prayers to him, hoping that he would contain the winds and use them for more benevolent purposes. Pazuzu’s Dichotomous Nature Pazuzu takes the appearance of a humanoid demon. He has the head of a lion or a dog with two pairs of wings. He has long claws and a pair of eagle talons on his feet. He also has a scorpion tail and his penis takes the form of a serpent.

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Pazuzu is parodied in a 1990 episode of the BBC television sketch series, French and Saunders, titled "The Exorcist", in which Dawn French portrays Pazuzu/Regan, and Jennifer Saunders portrays Chris MacNeil. A statue of Pazuzu is also briefly shown in the Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer and is seen for a split second before being blown away in a cave by an explosion. [7]

The patient is in the third register, lying on a high bed surrounded by two figures dressed in fish skins like the spirits associated with Ea, god of the depths and wisdom. They are probably the priestly exorcists who are conducting the ritual, with the help of three animal-headed spirits.

Pazuzu In Mesopotamian Religion

Left: Bronze statuette of the demon Pazuzu. Mesopotamia. 8th–7th century B.C. Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des Antiquités Orientales (MNB 467); Right: Roberto Cuoghi. Šuillakku, 2008. Frontispiece from Gioni, Massimiliano and Margot Norton, eds. Roberto Cuoghi: Šuillakku Corral. New York: New Museum, 2014 Based on the archaeological record, depictions of Pazuzu seemingly sprung up, fully realized, out of nowhere. Pazuzu’s appearance did not change over time; it was as if the world simply came to an understanding about who he was and what he looked like. With the demons cast, from a Christian perspective, as Satan's henchmen, any one of them could have possessed her. Perhaps Pazuzu, with his reputation for scaring away evil, was simply the most dominant when the right channel of communication was opened up. This is where the ouija board comes in, offering a cautionary tale against the dangers of using occult items for a bit of a lark. As Christianity.com warns: Although Pazuzu was considered to be evil, he was not evil incarnate. Pazuzu was regularly seen as a protective force as much as a destructive one, and he was invoked for protection from other demons — in particular, protecting pregnant women and children from the demoness Lamashtu, who was said to viciously murder young and unborn children.