Database and Lore

Lamashtu (NSFW)

Who is Lamashtu? Is she a hero? Is she a demoness? Is she benevolent, or is she the scourge of all life? Are the stories true about her, and does her appetite really leans toward what is mentioned? Is she a deity? Is she a person at all? What is her importance in the world of gods? Lamashtu is perhaps one of the oldest surviving recorded known demons (demoness) to exist on Earth. Her origins go as far back as the Sumerian Empire, making it over 5000 years ago or even possibly more. The Sumer was one of the more remembered civilizations of humanity that existed in what is today Iraq. The cultures of Mesopotamia hold essential roles in helping to bridge the Asiatic continent between Ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley Civilizations. Their religion is often considered one of the first prized examples of the human race. It is here that Lamashtu exists. There is some discrepancy towards the history of her as the Sumer religion. The general knowledge of her would be lost over time. It was believed that she was one of the daughters of the God Anu, a supreme god of the sky for the Sumer people. To know Anu is to know such famous deities such as Enki or Nidaba or Baba, who are his children. The Sumer and the Mesopotamian civilizations often were remembered for their gods and would even help create the famous stories such as Gilgamesh and more. But who is Lamashtu? The fact remains that the daughter of Anu was often considered terrifying and horrible towards her subjects if she ever had them at all. Lamashtu survives in the artifacts as a hybrid of death. She would act out on her own desires and would feed on human flesh. What was her favorite meal?.... Babies. What is considered to be one of the more horrid creatures in the Sumer civilizations paints the woman as the devourer of life. Lamashtu is often depicted as a hybrid donkey, canine, lion, and/or avian-like creature. The tablets would famously show her standing proud as dogs would feed upon her breasts, while holding snakes, and standing atop a donkey. The God Pazuzu would be called upon as a protector to mothers to ensure that Lamashtu could never come near them or their unborn child. In Tales of Heroes, Lamashtu very much exists. A demoness and a harbinger of evil, it is best to avoid her if you can. Of course, this was often easier said than done. The gods exist. Good or evil, the best or the worst may come to your doorstep. Lamashtu is one of the oldest surviving mythics among the Coalition of Deities, including other characters such as Tiamat or Uttu (just to name a few). Lamashtu’s goal is to rule the world and enjoy the luxuries of feeding upon the fetuses of pregnant women. If you see her, it is too late. A wave of her hand and she will control your mind and body. She will bring you to her, and she will do whatever she wants. But some things limit her. For one, Lamashtu has no choice but to serve the Coalition of Deities. She knows if she were to leave and create havoc, it would only mean her destruction. The goal of the Coalition is to ensure the basis of balance. Good or evil, it doesn’t matter as long as you work towards a general common goal. There are worse creatures out in the universe than Lamashtu. Even the demoness herself is well aware of this. If she leaves, she would be hunted down and killed by the Coalition of Deities to ensure she brings no harm to humanity. The second reason is that she has very little friends. Her powers affect mortals, and no one else. She does not get along with the Coalition members, and even the evil ones don’t like her either. The third is the respect of power. While her goal is to serve the Coalition, she knows that numbers are power. She has no hope to win against the many members that surround her. For now, the best goal is to remain the lapdog of the Coalition. To serve a mission for them is to receive prestige, and prestige means power. Power means a better leadership role or more respect around you. It isn’t to say that Lamashtu has done nothing but horrible things, far from it. She has served her missions well. Sometimes it is best to fight fire with fire, and even the most divine of characters can turn rouge or vile on mortals. She is allowed to do many things as long as it doesn’t go too far. In her past, she supposedly created the Crystal of Ve, which would grant many mythics the ability to shift to human form to hide among the human mortals. It was believed that Lamashtu herself often used her human form to hide from the other Sumerian deities that wanted her dead. The demoness is not stupid. Patience is a reward, and she knows this all too well. Lamashtu remains a member of this collection of mythics. Her past sins are forgiven upon joining them. She will sit on her throne as she drinks blood, thinking of the former glory days. Calm, collected, perhaps even bored, she dreams of the day she can feast on the fetus of a pregnant woman once again. For now, all she can do is wait…..