# Asag

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{{Short description|Demon from Sumerian mythology}}
{{Mesopotamian myth|expanded=5}}

In the [Sumerian mythological](/source/Sumerian_religion) poem ''[Lugal-e](/source/Lugal-e)'', '''Asag''' or '''Azag''' ([Sumerian](/source/Sumerian_language):{{cuneiform|𒀉𒉺}} {{transliteration|sux|a₂-sag₃}}; [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language): ''asakku''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bácksay |first1=András |last2=Niederreiter |first2=Zoltán |date=2022 |title='You Write (This Incantation) on a Cylindrical Amulet, Place (It) around His Neck and He Will Get Well!" Clay Cylindrical Amulets Inscribed with Incantations, Tools for Medical-Magical Rituals.' |journal=Le Journal des Médecines Cunéiformes |volume=40 |pages=20}}</ref>) is a [monstrous](/source/Monster) [demon](/source/demon). In the poem, his power is so hideous that it makes fish to boil alive in the rivers.{{sfnq|Black|Green|1992|p=35|q=The Asag was hideously repulsive in appearance and his power caused fish to boil alive in the rivers.}}

== Mythology ==
The Asag is generally identified as a hideous demon or "chaos-monster".{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=36}} In the ''Lugal-e'', he is described as the offspring of the sky god [An](/source/Anu) and the earth goddess [Ki](/source/Ki_(goddess)).{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=35}}

The demon is associated with the mountains; he mated with the ''kur'' (mountains) to produce a brood of "stone" offspring which formed an army of allies.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=36}} He was vanquished by the heroic deity [Ninurta](/source/Ninurta) (or [Ningirsu](/source/Ningirsu)), using [Sharur](/source/Sharur_(mythological_weapon)), his enchanted talking [mace](/source/mace_(bludgeon)), after seeking the counsel of his father, the god [Enlil](/source/Enlil). In another version of the myth, the Asag is defeated by [Adad](/source/Adad) (Iškur).{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=35}}

Scholars interpret the defeat of the Asag and his stone allies by Ninurta as a mythological expression of the anxiety felt by the inhabitants of the Mesopotamian plain regarding the inhabitants of the [Zagros Mountains](/source/Zagros_Mountains).{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=36}}

=== Artistic representation ===
The battle between the god and the monster may be depicted on the large stone reliefs erected by [Ashurnasirpal II](/source/Ashurnasirpal_II) (9th century BC) in the temple of Ninurta at [Kalhu](/source/Kalhu) ([Nimrud](/source/Nimrud)). These reliefs show a god wielding thunderbolts attacking a lion-dragon beast. A similar scene appears on [Neo-Assyrian](/source/Neo-Assyrian_Empire) seals.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=36}}

== Asakku ==
The [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language) name '''Asakku''' is used by researchers as either a synonym of Asag{{sfn|Wiggermann|1992|p=162}} or a variation in the form of multiple spirits. In magical texts and incantations, the ''asakku'' is a demon who attacks humans, specifically by causing "head fevers".{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=36}}

In a separate tradition, the "Seven Asakku" (or Eight) are a specific group of demons who are the offspring of An. Like the Sumerian Asag, they are said to have been defeated by Ninurta.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|p=36}}

==References==
<references/>

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Bane |first=T. |title=Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |series=McFarland Myth and Legend Encyclopedias |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7864-8894-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njDRfG6YVb8C&pg=PA52 |access-date=2025-02-18}}
* {{cite book |last1=Black |first1=Jeremy |last2=Green |first2=Anthony |title=Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary |publisher=The British Museum Press |location=London |year=1992 |isbn=0-7141-1705-6 | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/gods-demons-and-symbols-of-ancient-mesopotamia-an-illustrated-dictionary_202012/page/35 | pages=35-36 | chapter= Asag (Asakku)}}
* {{cite book |last=Wiggermann |first=F.A.M. |title=Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts |publisher=STYX & PP Publications |series=Cuneiform monographs |year=1992 |isbn=978-90-72371-52-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYX64ZkwkMIC&pg=PA162 |access-date=2025-02-18}}

==External links==
* [http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.6.2&charenc=j# Ninurta defeats the Asag—ETCSL tablet translation]

{{Sumerian mythology}}

Category:Mesopotamian demons

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Asag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asag) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asag?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.