Old Babylonian Incantation Against Lilitu Demon - Cuneiform Clay Tablet
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:43427 | Material: Clay |
| Year: 2018 |
This cuneiform clay tablet is a hand-written copy of an Old Babylonian original that is part of the Yale Babylonian Collection.
The text is a protective incantation against Wardat-lilim, a female childless demon roaming the steppe and attacking people in their homes. The original tablet is larger, and inscribed only on the obverse. The last line on the left side of the tablet is a colophon giving the information that it is a copy written by me.
Mesopotamian Lilitu or Ward...at-lilim was a predecessor of biblical Lilith and shares similar traits with medieval succubi. According to Sumerian poem Bilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld, she lived in the trunk of the chuluppu tree (which is very likely a representation of the tree of life), along with the serpent among its roots and Anzu bird in the crown, prior to the destruction of the tree (and the natural order of the world). Thus originally, she was not just a demon, but played quite an interesting part in the mystical symbolism of the world order.
Size: 5.4 cm x 5.6 cm x 2.1 cm = 2.1'' x 2.2'' x 0.8'' (width x height x thickness)
Language: Old Babylonian
The tablet is packed in a neat black paper box padded with wood wool. I will enclose a booklet with transliteration, transcription, and translation to English, and with information about the language, script etc.
The text is a protective incantation against Wardat-lilim, a female childless demon roaming the steppe and attacking people in their homes. The original tablet is larger, and inscribed only on the obverse. The last line on the left side of the tablet is a colophon giving the information that it is a copy written by me.
Mesopotamian Lilitu or Ward...at-lilim was a predecessor of biblical Lilith and shares similar traits with medieval succubi. According to Sumerian poem Bilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld, she lived in the trunk of the chuluppu tree (which is very likely a representation of the tree of life), along with the serpent among its roots and Anzu bird in the crown, prior to the destruction of the tree (and the natural order of the world). Thus originally, she was not just a demon, but played quite an interesting part in the mystical symbolism of the world order.
Size: 5.4 cm x 5.6 cm x 2.1 cm = 2.1'' x 2.2'' x 0.8'' (width x height x thickness)
Language: Old Babylonian
The tablet is packed in a neat black paper box padded with wood wool. I will enclose a booklet with transliteration, transcription, and translation to English, and with information about the language, script etc.
