Five Dark Underworld Deities in Ancient Mythology, from Māori Whiro to Mesopotamian Lamashtu
A study of five sinister figures from ancient mythology reveals how various cultures embodied chaos and darkness. In Māori lore, Whiro, the offspring of Papa and Rangi, clashed with his brother Tāne and governed the underworld, devouring the deceased to enhance his power. Jewish mythology features Lilith, Adam's initial spouse, who transformed into a demoness, endangering childbirth and giving rise to over one hundred demonic offspring. Loviatar, from Finnish myth, is the daughter of Tuoni and mothered nine sons representing various diseases. Egyptian god Apophis, associated with darkness, assaulted Ra's vessel, causing calamities. Meanwhile, Lamashtu from Mesopotamian tales targeted childbirth, abducted infants, and spread illness, countered by the demon Pazuzu and protective amulets inscribed with her name.
Key facts
- Whiro, the Māori demon-god, was son of Papa (Earth) and Rangi (Sky) and brother of the light god Tāne
- Cremation was believed to prevent Whiro from consuming the dead, as he gained no strength from ashes
- Lilith, called "the beautiful maiden," was protected against by amulets inscribed with the angels Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangel
- Lilith bore more than one hundred demonic children a day after fleeing to the Red Sea
- Loviatar, blind daughter of Tuoni and Tuonetar, appears in the Kalevala and bore nine sons representing diseases
- Apophis, the Egyptian chaos serpent, attacked the sun god Ra nightly and is first mentioned in the Middle Kingdom
- Lamashtu's Akkadian name means "she who erases"; she was countered by the demon Pazuzu
- Amulets against Lamashtu depicted her as lion-headed with bird claws
Entities
Artists
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- Michelangelo
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela
- Kurt Rexrodt
- John Martin Crawford
Institutions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Musei Vaticani
- Turku Art Museum
- Pergamonmuseum
- Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Musée du Louvre
- Arts Elemental
- Deviant Art
- TheCollector
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Vatican City
- Turku
- Finland
- Berlin
- Germany
- Paris
- France
- Thebes
- Egypt
- Red Sea
- Heliopolis
- Mesopotamia
- Sumer