Utukku

The utukku were a class of supernatural beings in Sumerian and Akkadian belief, ranging from the spirits of dead humans to predatory supernatural entities. They were catalogued in the massive 'Udug-hul' (Evil Demons) cuneiform series — twelve tablets of incantations against them. Some were malevolent by nature; others were spirits of those who died violent or premature deaths. They attacked the living through all the standard channels — night, threshold moments, illness.

Varied — some appeared as ghosts of the dead, others as shadowy predators. They could be completely invisible or appear as distorted human shapes. The exorcistic texts sometimes list their names and specific manifestation forms.

Caused disease, madness, paralysis, and sudden death. Could possess or attack the living. Required professional exorcistic response. Existed as a categorized threat in Babylonian medicine — a diagnosis of 'hand of the utukku' pointed to a specific treatment pathway.