Originally, I ended Father Time with Part 2. I covered the clock…I covered the medals…I dealt briefly with the subject of the black dog, noting the connection with the three dogs in Merrin’s vision. I stated something rather obvious…the dog is either running to protect or running to attack. That’s kind of like saying that it might rain tomorrow, or it might not. The stock market might go up, or it might go down. I have since found some fascinating information that allows me to be a little less wishy-washy and state that the dog is running to protect. This is based on the fact that it is a black dog…
Black dogs are pretty common, but not this one. He is a special black dog. In fact, this black dog serves a very vital function. I will show again a picture of…
…no, wrong person. I meant to say…the Horrid Lady Lamashtu…
This is, of course, taken from a Lamashtu plaque. There is a pig and a dog, each apparently suckling from her breasts. And I suppose that this might be the case. However, the pig and dog are very important in one particular instance. In the event that an Assyrian baby has come down with a fever, Lamashtu may be at work. And there was a ritual to help ensure that the child recovered. Well, nothing is for sure, especially in the ancient world. But Lamashtu had to be kept away if things were to turn out well. Luckily, there was a ritual to keep her away. And in this case, it doesn’t involve Pazuzu.
The first thing to do is to make a small Lamashtu figurine. Bread and water is placed by it. The figurine had to then be placed by the head of the child and remain there for three days. There is also an incantation that is said three times every day. At dusk on the third day, the Lamashtu figurine is removed from the house, taken outside, and buried. But there was a very special requirement dictating how the figurine made it to the child. It had to be carried by a black dog. No other kind of dog would do! He must be a black dog. But there is another requirement I left out. Within the mouth of the figurine, the heart of piglet had to be placed. And so there we have our piglet and dog! But this elucidates more than just the role of the dog and piglet on the Lamashtu plaque. Indeed! The dog who carried the Lamashtu figurine had to be a black dog…a black dog I earlier linked with Merrin…of which I am now certain. The black dog serves a protective function; he is instrumental at warding off Lamashtu.
Something else occurred to me that I think is very important. We know that the demon who plagued Regan is never named…not even by Merrin. Pazuzu is not that demon. That is certain given the role that he plays…his overwhelming reason to exist, is to stop Lamashtu. I have covered that many times. And I pointed out that there is a Lamashtu plaque in Merrin’s vision. The old lady in the carriage who almost kills Merrin…I have identified her as Lamashtu. So, does this mean that as far as Merrin was concerned, he believed that he was going up against the Horrid Lady? No.
Do you want to hear the background of the case first…father?
Why?
Merrin isn’t interested in any insights Karras thinks he may be able to impart. And I think that there was a very good reason for that. What? Merrin had no regard for Karras, and indeed, did not trust him, even though the clear indication is that the two men met for the first time at Chris’s house on the night of the exorcism. Did Merrin name the demon? No, and I think that there is a good reason for that too. But he did say this…
He is a liar…the demon is a liar.
Merrin is giving some last minute advice, and he cautions against engaging the demon in conversation. They may ask only that which is absolutely necessary. Good advice, since the demon has a potty-mouth anyway! But Merrin clearly suggests that the demon is a male demon…not a female one, and therefore…not Lamashtu. So he must be Pazuzu? No, he is not Pazuzu. I would offer an interpretation of one of the scenes in Merrin’s vision. The Good Father told the archaeologist that he has something to go do. He is almost killed by the woman in the carriage, but is saved by the Pazuzu-like figure that peers over the top of the Metaphorical Lamashtu Plaque. Having survived Lamashtu’s attempt on his life, Merrin makes his way to a desolate place. Ruins. It will, like Regan’s bedroom, be a place of battle. It is, in fact, the dig-site. But Merrin isn’t going there to excavate. In fact, it would seem as though he was going there to metaphorically do that last thing he felt had to be done. And yes…that was a battle.
That is Merrin making way through the ruins, walking like a priest with a purpose. Now he sees something that did not, and does not, nor could not, exist…
It is the middle of the day in the Iraqi desert. Yet, I would note the strange blue background, with the only light streaming over the right shoulder of the Pazuzu statue. It is clearly a parallel to…
Placed side-by-side:
Essentially the same basic image of the Pazuzu statue. And at essentially the same time. Back to the desert…
And back to daylight. I have commented elsewhere about the phallus. In fact, it is a snake that is coiled around the leg. It is suggestive of a phallus, but it is actually a snake. Contrast:
Seen that one already. Here is one that is rather odd, in that what is protruding appears to be too high to be a phallus...
Here’s a rather dopey looking Pazuzu…
An interesting one was found in 1978 in Syria…
No, that’s not it. That’s the one Homer found and gave to Maggie…
I temporary misplaced...
Oh, here it is…actually, there are two. But the one on the right has what appears to be a snake-like phallus. It seems as though, in this case, that a snake has appeared from lower down and then rises up from between the legs. It is unclear whether this is actually a phallus, or indeed, whether it is a serpent. We know that Lamashtu carries serpents in her hands. Here’s a good shot of the back of Pazuzu:
Another Pazuzu:
Here’s a poor man’s Pazuzu:
Pazuzu on a small plaque:
Another plaque…
Pazuzu on a seal:
In some of the images show above, there is no snake coiling up the leg in any of the figures shown above, and no phallus to the extent of that seen in the movie. And what have been found, besides the apparently far more common Pazuzu heads, are statuettes, or figurines. The statue in the movie is of such a size as to suggest an actual, cultic deity. This was not the case with Pazuzu…he was used in apotropaic magic. That involved a spirit-realm inhabited by spirit-beings…lesser deities, which the Greeks referred to as daemons, from which we get our word…demon. What many people don’t understand is that such entities are completely different than cultic deities. Gods and goddesses were larger than life, and to make sure that all knew this, their statues were as well. This is an excellent example…
The two beings on either side are known as lamassu, winged bulls, sometimes lions, with human heads. They were protective deities, as opposed to the guy in the middle…Nabu, son of Marduk. There are two attendant deities on either side of him, facing each other. They are immense, and the statues of these divine beings represented the focal point of the great temple of Nabu. Notice the size of this one…
Not all deities got statues of this magnitude. But when you are talking about gods and goddesses with what scholars call a cult…set rituals, priesthoods, sacrifices, and temple statues…their statues are meant to be left in place. So, the statues are heavy…they aren’t designed to be carried around. I’ve seen no evidence that there was ever a Pazuzu temple, with a Pazuzu cult, a Pazuzu priesthood, days sacred to Pazuzu, a festival of Pazuzu, a reenactment of important deeds attributed to Pazuzu…in short, there was no Pazuzu religion. That contrasts with deities like Asshur, Marduk, Nabu…etc. There would not have been a statue of Pazuzu like that seen in Merrin’s vision. What Pazuzu was, essentially, was a magic talisman. His statuettes and figurines were light and portable. Just how portable is clear from the large number of Pazuzu heads that have been found. The following are examples:
I have think I may have forgotten one that…
Well I guess that I’m not the only who likes Pazuzu heads! And! I am not just a Clockologist or a master of Vomitology, although both things are important. I also have an antique business, buying, selling, and exchanging Pazuzu head, figurines, statuettes, plaques, and assorted bric-a-brac. I also have various types of Lamashtu memorabilia…though I haven’t sold any yet. I wonder why. Actually, I’m not a dealer of antique Pazuzu stuff…or Lamashtu fine art. And, unfortunately, I don’t own any of the items pictured above, which are displayed here only for the sake of commentary relative to a subject of general, public interest. You think I cheated because I snuck a picture of The Face in among my Pazuzu heads! It is kind of cheating…but kind of not. Here is something very cool:
This is a wall plaque, and has been interpreted as the face of Pazuzu. So now for a side-by-side:
As far as the heads go, it is obvious that they come in different qualities; some are quite ornate, while others are rather crude. I guess it depended on how much money you had. Royalty, nobility, and top guys in the Assyrian military could not doubt afford the highest quality, although I'm unaware of the existence of Pazuzu heads made of gold. And guess what! I’m having a sale! Well, not really. The sheer number of portable figurines, figurines, and, in particular, heads of Pazuzu make another excellent point…if Pazuzu was actually a demon who did what appears to be done to Regan in the Exorcist…then why did so many people walk around with these things? Or have them in their homes? The only possible explanation is the one we already know…he was a good guy, ultimately. Try to find how many Lamashtu pendants and talismans have been found! Nobody wanted to walk around with Lamashtu because she was truly horrid. And that explains why I have surplus of these things! This is another example of Merrin’s Lamashtu…
Pazuzu couldn’t possibly have been a demon…a daemon…yes, but not a demon. The statue in the movie was grossly exaggerated, and so it made sense to make it grossly exaggerated in all of it’s features. We do not see the back of it, but we do know that Pazuzu had a tail. One interesting, though clearly wrong, suggestion might be that in some instances, the apparent phallus may actually be Pazuzu’s tail, curled forward between his legs. In other words, it was important to know, when viewed from the front, that Pazuzu had a tail. The important point to make here is that the exaggerated phallus is completely out of place, since Pazuzu was NOT a fertility deity…he didn’t make men potent, he didn’t make women conceive. He has no reason to have the phallus-image seen on Merrin’s statue. Lamashtu? She was a fertility goddess? No! In fact, she was the exact opposite.
I would add one more thing about Pazuzu. His power of the winds enabled him to direct his wrath against the endeavors of men. But! His association with the winds had a beneficial aspect as well. There are instances where he is called upon to save men from the detrimental effects of the winds. Here is a first-person inscription:
I am Pazuzu, the son of Hanpu, king of the evil wind lilu. I ascended a a mighty mountain that shook; one by one I broke the wings of the westward winds
Ok, I paraphrased. He was capricious, capable of bringing savage destruction, yet beneficial to humans in many, many ways. I have decided to do whatever it takes to stay on his good side! When modern westerners hear the term “demon possession” they fall back on a very familiar construct. What is that? The Christian notion of demonic possession. It is a very strange thing that the Old Testament doesn’t speak about demon possession. Thousands of years of divine revelation…and no demon possession. Then, all of sudden, inexplicably, in the New Testament, demon possession is everywhere. Christ casts out demons, his disciples cast out demons. Even the followers of a fascinating character in the biblical Book of Acts named Simon Magus carried out exorcisms. It can be assumed that he did as well. So, I wonder why this bizarre phenomenon suddenly appeared. Perhaps it is due to the influence of Greek religious ideas, which include possession by a divine being…except that in the Greek idea of possession, it was considered a beneficial experience. The New Testament presents demons as the cause of bodily or mental illness. In another posting on this website, I discussed the Case of the Moonstruck Boy, where a young boys epilepsy was attributed to a demon. This has touch-points with the Exorcist, where the Supposed Demon seems to have nothing better to do than to slowly destroy the young Regan. One might ask…what is the point? I don’t see how such actions help the Devil in his war against God…if you believe in the Great Dualism. The demon would be far smarter if he joined a rock band and embedded Pro-Satan backwards messages, seducing millions of young people to back the Prince of Darkness. But no! Projectile Vomiting, Facial Wounds, and Bad Teeth. Hey! The Satan called and wants to know why…
Hey! Not-Smart, Not-Stable Guy! I know all about your collusion with Pazuzu! You’re a Time Waster! And you think you can be angry? By the way! You’re fired! Oh, I can recommend a good dentist.
In the Pazuzu-Lamashtu cycle, neither of these beings “possess” people. Lamashtu attacks pregnant women, women in childbirth, babies, children. Although you can’t see her, her assault is nonetheless a physical one. Pazuzu doesn’t possess people either…he simply fights against his arch-enemy whenever he is invoked in accordance with the ritual. You can not be possessed by either of these entities, in 700 BC, or in 1973. That is not how they operate. To actually get to demonic possession as many believe is present in the Exorcist, you have to move into the realm created by the New Testament, and Christianity ever since then. So, neither Pazuzu nor Lamashtu can be behind Regan’s demon possession.
Two dogs fight near the Pazuzu statue, yet one stays out of it.
T
he fictional Pazuzu stands on an elevation, as does Merrin…in fact, they look as if they are on the same level as each other. And we have the characteristic bluish background that appears so frequently in the scenes in Regan’s bedroom during the exorcism. So we have…
Merrin
Pazuzu
Fighting Dog 1
Fighting Dog 2
Watching Dog
That’s 5 beings present? No! There is another. As Merrin stares at Pazuzu, he suddenly hears someone approaching…this guy:
Why is he significant? Because he rounds out the complement? And there’s an even more important point. He doesn’t just appear behind Merrin. No, there’s more to it than that…
The man has literally snuck up behind Merrin…as though he were stalking the Good Father. As Merrin faces the statue, he suddenly hears the strange man come up behind him. And that is highly significant.
I will back track again I forgot two other people present at the ruins…present at the battlefield. These two guys…
These guys are important too. As Merrin pulls up in his jeep, these men come running around the corner with rifles pointed. Who are they? On one level, they are two men who are guarding the excavation site…to prevent theft and looting. But they recognize Merrin and let him pass. So, these two guys are in control of who gets in, and knowing Merrin, and knowing that he is supposed to be there, they let him through. They are, in fact, these two guys…
They are the guys who approved the exorcism, and it is these two guys who bring Merrin in as the main priest for the ritual. They determine who gets into this metaphorical battlefield. They are the guards…the gatekeepers.
And the battlefield? The ruins? Obviously…symbolic of Regan’s bedroom. But they are a real location in Iraq…the ancient city of Hatra…
Merrin’s arrival at the ruins. This is clearly Hatra…
The Great Lady of Hatra:
A severe matron indeed! I rather anger Lamashtu than this Great Lady! Hatra is interesting in what it can be said to say about Pazuzu, and it also indicates that a position I took in an earlier essay is incorrect. In case there is any doubt…
