Hanbi

Hanbi, also known as Hanpa, was a demon in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, recognized as the king of the evil wind demons and the father of Pazuzu, the demonic deity associated with pestilential winds and apotropaic protection against malevolent forces.^[1]^[2] In Assyrian and Babylonian traditions, Hanbi embodied the primordial forces of chaos and destruction, ruling over underworld demons and udug spirits that brought harm through storms, disease, and supernatural affliction.^[3] His primary attestations appear in incantation texts and protective figurines from the first millennium BCE, where he is invoked in rituals to ward off evil, often alongside his son Pazuzu, whose inscriptions explicitly declare, "I am the god Pazuzu, son of the god Hanbi, king of the evil wind demons."^[2] As a figure of the demonic hierarchy, Hanbi represented the untamed, adversarial aspects of the cosmos, contrasting with benevolent deities while serving in exorcistic contexts to counter greater evils.^[1]

Etymology

Name Origins

The name Hanbi, also rendered as Hanpa or Hanba in certain transcriptions, originates from Akkadian demonological traditions within ancient Mesopotamian mythology, where it designates the sovereign of malevolent supernatural entities. This nomenclature first appears in cuneiform inscriptions on protective amulets and figurines dating to the first millennium BCE, specifically during the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods (circa 1000–539 BCE). These artifacts, often cast in bronze or molded in clay, invoke Hanbi as the progenitor of Pazuzu and explicitly title him "king of the evil wind demons" (Akkadian: šar līlê lemnūti), emphasizing his role in apotropaic rituals against harmful spirits.^[1]^[2]^[4] The etymology of Hanbi is uncertain, but it is attested as a demon name derived from the Sumerian term maskim (demon).^[5] The earliest known attestation occurs in a 7th-century BCE inscription on a cast-copper or bronze figurine of Pazuzu, declaring him "son of the god Hanbi, king of the evil wind demons."^[2]^[3] These sources, excavated at sites like Nimrud and Nineveh, represent Hanbi's invocation as a foundational evil force in exorcistic literature. Phonetic variations between "Hanpa" and "Hanbi" reflect dialectal shifts in Akkadian scribal practices, with "Hanpa" appearing in some Babylonian contexts and "Hanbi" in Assyrian ones, though the forms are used synonymously.^[4]^[1]

Linguistic Variations

In Sumerian contexts, the name derives from maskim, a term for demon, while in Akkadian sources, it is standardized as "Hanbi" or more precisely "Ḫanbi," where the diacritic Ḫ represents an aspirated 'ḫ' sound.^[5] Common variants include "Hanpa" and "Hanba," as seen in inscriptions and mythological texts invoking Pazuzu as the son of Hanbi.^[4]^[1] Assyrian regional adaptations, particularly in texts from the 7th century BCE, preserve the name in incantations from the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. These variations underscore Hanbi's transmission across Mesopotamian scribal traditions without altering the core denotation of an overarching demonic authority.^[3]

Mythological Role

Association with Evil Forces

In Mesopotamian mythology, Hanbi is recognized as the king of the evil wind demons, a title that underscores his central role as a ruler of malevolent supernatural entities responsible for inflicting harm on humanity.^[6] This depiction positions him as the embodiment of destructive forces, particularly those manifesting through chaotic winds that carry disease, storms, and misfortune.^[2] Hanbi's identity as the lord of evil distinguishes him within the pantheon as a figure of unchecked malevolence, overseeing primordial potentials for disorder that contrast with the structured cosmos upheld by benevolent deities. In this capacity, he symbolizes the ever-present threat of chaos inherent in the natural and supernatural worlds, serving as an antagonistic counterforce to divine order.^[6] Specific references to Hanbi appear in apotropaic contexts, such as incantation texts and amulets associated with his son Pazuzu, where Hanbi is identified as the king of evil wind demons. These texts highlight Hanbi's role as a hierarchical power in the demonic realm, but as a malevolent entity rather than one directly invoked for protection in Mesopotamian religious life.^[6]

Leadership over Udug Demons

In Mesopotamian demonology, the Udug (Akkadian utukku) represented a class of malevolent spirits often identified as "evil wind" demons, operating under the dominion of Hanbi, the primordial ruler of such forces. These demons were believed to swarm in large numbers, with texts referring to groups like the "seven and seven" or "seven times seven" evil Udug, and were held responsible for inflicting plagues, diseases, and hauntings upon humans as agents of calamity.^[2] Hanbi's role as chieftain over the Udug is evidenced in protective inscriptions, such as those on Pazuzu amulets, where he is titled "king of the evil wind demons," underscoring his command over these spirits. This status granted him absolute authority in the hierarchical structure of underworld malevolence, where the Udug executed his will as bringers of affliction.^[2] The Udug-ḫul (Akkadian Utukku Lemnutū) incantation series, a canonical corpus of exorcistic spells spanning sixteen tablets, addresses the threat of these evil Udug by invoking divine intervention to bind and expel them, reflecting rituals aimed at curbing their depredations under Hanbi's overarching influence. While direct appeals to Hanbi are rare, the series emphasizes the demons' wind-like invisibility and destructive power, aligning with his domain as their sovereign.^[7]

Family and Relations

Parentage and Lineage

In Mesopotamian mythology, Hanbi's parentage remains undocumented in surviving Sumerian and Akkadian texts, distinguishing him from deities with explicit genealogies outlined in major works such as the Enūma Eliš (Babylonian Epic of Creation).^[2] No sources identify specific progenitors, including high gods like Anu or Enki, though his antagonistic nature as lord of evil suggests a divergent or oppositional position within the broader divine hierarchy.^[2] Akkadian sources portray Hanbi as an ancient entity without reference to a maternal figure, emphasizing his primordial emergence as a ruler of malevolent forces like the udug demons.^[8] This lack of familial detail underscores his role as an independent, chthonic archetype in the pantheon. Hanbi shares associations with other underworld deities, such as Nergal, through common themes of destruction and the subterranean realm.^[2] Some later interpretations propose Hanbi as father of Humbaba, guardian of the cedar forest in the Epic of Gilgamesh, though this is not attested in primary sources.

Offspring Including Pazuzu

In ancient Mesopotamian mythology, Hanbi is recognized as the father of Pazuzu, the prominent wind demon, a relationship explicitly attested in Late Babylonian incantation texts inscribed on protective amulets and heads from the first millennium BCE.^[9] These texts, such as those found in Babylonian contexts, describe Pazuzu as the son of Hanbi, who is titled the king of the evil lilû wind demons, thereby establishing a direct lineage through which Pazuzu assumes authority over demonic wind forces.^[2] For instance, a standard inscription on Pazuzu amulets declares: "I am the god Pazuzu, son of the god Hanbi, king of the evil wind demons," underscoring this paternal bond and Hanbi's foundational role in the hierarchy of underworld demons.^[6] Pazuzu inherits from Hanbi a dominion specifically over the south and southwest winds, which were associated with plagues, droughts, and locust swarms in Mesopotamian cosmology, yet paradoxically endows him with apotropaic powers to ward off greater evils like the demoness Lamashtu.^[1] This dual inheritance—malevolent wind control tempered by protective efficacy—positions Pazuzu as a mediator in ritual practices, where his image on amulets was invoked to repel pestilential forces while channeling his inherited demonic potency against human threats, as detailed in Neo-Babylonian incantations.^[10] Hanbi's own lordship over evil wind entities serves as the source of this transmission, enabling Pazuzu to embody a liminal role between unchecked malevolence and structured warding rituals.^[2] Beyond Pazuzu, Hanbi's progeny may include minor storm demons, as inferred from shared iconographic motifs on Mesopotamian amulets where subordinate wind entities bear traits akin to Hanbi's demonic attributes, such as scaly forms and avian elements, suggesting a broader familial extension of storm-related malevolence.^[6] These lesser offspring, though not named in surviving texts, reflect the transmission of Hanbi's evil authority, allowing his descendants to navigate the boundary between pure demonic harm and human protective customs in Late Babylonian demonology.^[9]

Depictions and Iconography

Artistic Representations

Hanbi's direct artistic representations in Mesopotamian art are exceedingly rare, consistent with the broader cultural reluctance to visually depict malevolent demons, as such images were believed to potentially summon or empower the entities they portrayed.^[2] The primary evidence of Hanbi in visual contexts comes indirectly through inscriptions on artifacts associated with his son, Pazuzu, a prominent demon-god of the first millennium BCE. A notable example is a cast-bronze figurine from the 7th century BCE, measuring 46 mm in height, inscribed on the reverse: "I am the god Pazuzu, son of the god Hanbi, king of the evil wind demons." This amulet depicts Pazuzu in a hybrid form—featuring a canine face with bulging eyes, a scaly body, bird-like talons for hands and feet, wings, and a snake-headed phallus—serving apotropaic purposes to protect against other evils, such as the demon Lamashtu or pestilential winds.^[2] Similar Pazuzu statuettes and amulets, often found in archaeological sites from Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, reinforce Hanbi's textual presence without providing a distinct visual form for him.^[1] No confirmed depictions of Hanbi as a standalone figure, such as horned or hybrid motifs, survive in cylinder seals, reliefs, or plaques, underscoring his shadowy, abstract role in the pantheon as inferred from cuneiform texts rather than iconography.^[2]

Symbolic Attributes

Hanbi's primary symbolic association in Mesopotamian mythology is with malevolent winds, embodying his role as the king of evil wind demons and underscoring his dominion over destructive natural forces. This wind motif reflects the broader conceptualization of chaotic and harmful elements in the cosmos, often contrasted with more benevolent deities linked to favorable weather patterns.^[11] In ritual contexts, Hanbi's symbolic link to evil winds appears in protective incantations and amulets, where he is referenced as the progenitor of Pazuzu, the demon invoked to ward off plagues and other perils. For instance, inscriptions on bronze Pazuzu figurines declare, "I am the god Pazuzu, son of the god Hanbi, king of the evil wind demons," emphasizing the paternal inheritance of wind-related malevolence repurposed for apotropaic purposes against threats like the demon Lamashtu.^[2] These artifacts, dating to the 7th century BCE, illustrate how Hanbi's windy symbolism was harnessed in magical practices to bind and repel evil influences.

Historical and Cultural Context

Place in Mesopotamian Pantheon

Hanbi holds a subordinate position within the Mesopotamian pantheon as a minor demon-god, excluded from the hierarchical elite of the Anunnaki, the primary assembly of high deities responsible for maintaining cosmic order and human welfare.^[2] This placement underscores his alignment with chaotic and malevolent supernatural entities rather than the benevolent pantheon core exemplified by gods like Anu, Enlil, and Marduk.^[2] Known as the king of the evil wind demons and lord of all evil forces, Hanbi exerts influence primarily in underworld domains, where he oversees disruptive spirits that threaten human life and stability. Hanbi is associated with the Udug demons, a class of antagonistic supernatural beings, as one of their prominent figures.^[2] In contrast to the protective and creative roles of major deities, Hanbi embodies the adversarial forces in Mesopotamian theology's implicit dualism between order and chaos, with his demonic progeny—such as Pazuzu—paradoxically enabling apotropaic defenses against even greater harms from the underworld. This theological framing positions Hanbi as a counterforce to divine harmony, integral to narratives of conflict and resolution in the broader cosmic struggle.^[2]

Evidence from Texts and Artifacts

Evidence for Hanbi primarily derives from Akkadian incantation texts and protective artifacts from the first millennium BCE, attesting to his role as a demonic figure in Mesopotamian apotropaic practices. The Udug-ḫul ("Evil Demons") series, a collection of exorcistic incantations against malevolent spirits, references evil udug demons, with which Hanbi is associated, portraying them in spells designed to bind and expel demonic forces causing illness and misfortune. These texts, compiled and copied in the 7th century BCE library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, emphasize the antagonistic presence of such entities in ritual dramas where afflicted individuals confront and overcome demonic forces.^[12] Archaeological finds further corroborate Hanbi's existence through inscriptions on bronze amulets and figurines linked to his son Pazuzu, widely used for protection against supernatural threats. Excavations at Mesopotamian sites, including Nimrud and Nineveh, have yielded numerous such artifacts from the Neo-Assyrian period (circa 900–600 BCE), featuring Pazuzu's demonic visage with text proclaiming, "I am Pazuzu, son of Hanbi, king of the evil wind demons." A representative example is a cast-bronze head from the 7th century BCE, now in the Musée du Louvre, inscribed on the reverse to invoke Pazuzu's power derived from his father Hanbi against pestilential winds and child-harming demons like Lamashtu. Similar inscribed amulets from first millennium BCE Assyrian and Babylonian contexts pair Hanbi's name with Pazuzu in demon-warding formulas, highlighting their shared role in folk magic.^[13]^[2] Unlike his son Pazuzu, no iconographic representations of Hanbi himself have been identified, emphasizing his role as a textual and invocatory figure. Despite these attestations in magical literature and personal artifacts, Hanbi's presence is notably absent from royal inscriptions and major temple dedications, which prioritize high gods of the state pantheon. This scarcity suggests his veneration was confined to private, folkloric cults focused on exorcism and protection, rather than institutionalized worship supported by kings or priesthoods.^[2]