The most famous is the Sphinx in Egypt.
Lammasu are also known as Shedu.
They are thought of as winged bulls and winged lions.
They first began to appear around 5,000 years ago.
The Epic of Gilgamesh features various Lamassu.
The Lamassu exemplifies:
- The 4 cardinal directions east, south, west, and north
- The 4 seasons spring, summer, fall, and winter
- The 4 cardinal zodiac signs which currently are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn (long ago ages saw different starting points for the ecliptic or apparent path of the sun as it traveled the celestial sphere)
- Each individual zodiacal / historical age (such as the Age of Aquarius), lasting 2,160 years (a result of the earth’s precessional rotation)
- The totality of the zodiacal ages (all 12 from Capricorn to Sagittarius), meaning 2,160 X 12 = approximately 26,000 years, a period of time also called a Great Year. Anthropologist Robert Sepehr is one who has studied this.
In other words the Lamassu emerges from the depths of time and depicts the long tail of the earth. It tells the story of earth, including humans, all living creatures, survival, art, mathematics, spirituality, immanence, transcendence, and power. Not bad for a winged bull.
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance
This is the first I’ve heard of the Lamassu, Flossie. Most intriguing creature!
I thought you’d like the 12 part, Mae:)
I have never heard of the Lamassu. I love the idea of winged bulls and Lions. You come up with the coolest stuff!
Thanks, Cathy. I’m glad you like the winged bulls and lions.
Hi there! Would you happen to know where I can find out more information on the lamassu and their role in society? How did the ppl of Mesopotamia interact with them and invoke them? Who (or what gods?) supposedly “assigned” them to the land as protectors? Are there any myths or stories that I can find about this? Thank u!
Liyana, you might check Joseph Campbell’s books. He is usually my first “go to” scholar regarding myth. Also the works of Maria Gimbutas, who specialized in ancient goddess cultures of the middle east.
The ancient Sumerians rose and thrived around 3500 BCE in great cities such as Uruk and Ur. The original Sumerian word Lama referred to a female protective deity who provided intercession to the gods. The king would usually be the one to petition the Lama. The gods were many, including the primordial chaos of creation Tiamat, Apsu, Anu – the heavens, Ki – the earth, Enki (later called Ea) – Lord of Earth, Enlil – Lord of Air and king of the gods, the goddess Inanna.
The myths get a different and interesting treatment in books by Zecharia Sitchin.
The root word Lama later morphed to the male version Lamassu and eventually became the winged bull relief “statues” around 1000 BCE in Assyria, used to protect and guard the kingdom from the energy of primordial chaos. People would also bury representations of them on tablets under the doors of their houses for protection. The Lamassu had a correlation with the astrological zodiac (bull, lion, eagle, and human being– a quartet of symbols also used in the Bible). I notice a physical and functional correlation between the Lamassu and the medieval gargoyles guarding cathedrals. Main Assyrian gods included Ashur (the winged sun) who in this version defeated Tiamat and Ishtar (correlated to Inanna). and Marduk (Enki’s son) or Bal of Babylon.
Hope this helps a little. Googling and using EDU ORG or HTML, along with lamassu, will also bring up info.