{"id":4754,"date":"2026-04-20T13:23:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/edimmu\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:28:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:28:39","slug":"edimmu","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/edimmu\/","title":{"rendered":"Edimmu"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"4754\" class=\"elementor elementor-4754 elementor-723\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu, Spirit of the Mesopotamian Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Edimmu is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of the Mesopotamian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p>A restless spirit of the dead that appears when the burial was neglected.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Spirit: An incorporeal or semi-corporeal entity, the deceased, nature beings, household spirits or threshold guardians. Acts in everyday life, often bound to places or families.\">Spirit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/mesopotamia\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Cradle of documented religion, Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria (ca. 3500 BCE to 330 BCE).\">Mesopotamia<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/spirits-of-the-dead\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"The deceased whose spirits continue to act in this world, household spirits, ancestors, restless dead.\">Spirit of the dead<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_mesopotamien_edimmu-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4755\" alt=\"Edimmu - spirits from the Mesopotamian tradition, historical-illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_mesopotamien_edimmu-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_mesopotamien_edimmu-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_mesopotamien_edimmu-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_mesopotamien_edimmu.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In Mesopotamian demonology, the Edimmu is not a created figure but the consequence of human neglect. It arises when a deceased person was not properly buried, was not regularly honoured with <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> for the dead, or was torn from life violently and forgotten. The soul, the <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em>, Sumerian <em>gidim<\/em>, then becomes a threat.<\/p><p>This places the Edimmu in a particular social role: it makes the failure of the surviving relatives visible. Its defence therefore does not lie only in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, evil-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulet<\/span>, but above all in proper burial and in the continuous care of the dead, the <em>kispu<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Quick overview: Edimmu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> restless spirit of the dead (Mesopotamian)<br>Origin: Akkadian <em>edimmu<\/em>, Sumerian <em>gidim<\/em><br>Function: haunts the living when burial is neglected<br><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">Invocation<\/span>: <em>kispu<\/em> <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span>, offerings of water and flour for the dead<br>Central sources: Maql\u00fb series, Utukk\u016b lemn\u016btu, Gilgamesh Epic Tablet XII<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Evidence for the Edimmu ranges from early Sumerian texts into the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods. The complex of care of the dead, spirit of the dead, and belief in the afterlife is thus one of the most enduring elements of Mesopotamian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Mythological classification<\/strong><\/p><p><em>Edimmu<\/em>, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> or soul of the deceased, is not a single entity in Mesopotamian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The body of transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>, but a class of supernatural beings, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span> of the dead. <em>Edimmu<\/em> are the incorporeal remains of deceased people who wander in the underworld.<\/p><p>They can be evil or neutral, depending on how they lived and how they were buried. <em>Edimmu<\/em> are bound to the physical world by emotional or physical anchors, unresolved matters, poor burials, or strong feelings. They are neither gods nor full <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span>, but something in between.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of distribution<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The idea was widespread throughout the Mesopotamian cultural sphere. Functional parallels can also be found far beyond it, in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BC to 600 AD.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> Mediterranean cultures, East Asian folk religions, and European folk-belief traditions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source situation<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Central sources are the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A linguistic ritual intended to summon or bind a power.\" tabindex=\"0\">incantation<\/span> series Maql\u00fb and \u0160urpu, Tablet XII of the Gilgamesh Epic with its instruction for appeasing the unburied dead, as well as the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the authoritatively recognized body of scriptures of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">canonical<\/span> collection Utukk\u016b lemn\u016btu (&#8220;Evil demons&#8221;).<\/p><p>Editions and translations are owed substantially to M.J. Geller (Brill, 2007 and 2016) and R. Borger; the kispu practice has been systematically worked out by Akio Tsukimoto (1985).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and variants<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Akkadian:<\/strong> <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em>, in older transcriptions also <em>edimmu<\/em>, <em>etimmu<\/em>, <em>ekimmu<\/em>.<br>Sumerian: <em>gidim<\/em>.<br>Literally: &#8220;<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span>&#8220;, &#8220;soul of a dead person&#8221;.<\/p><p>An important distinction: in principle <em>every<\/em> deceased person has an <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em>. But it becomes a threat only when the care of the dead is neglected, when the death was violent, or when the corpse remained unburied.<\/p><p>The &#8220;Edimmu&#8221; as a demonological term therefore denotes the derailed, restless spirit of the dead, not the soul as such.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Appearance<\/strong><\/p><p>Shadowy, without a fixed iconographic programme. It is experienced acoustically (wailing, moaning), in dreams, or as a presence felt in the house at night. Akkadian scholarly logic distinguishes between Edimmu that become visible (rare) and those experienced only indirectly (the usual case).<\/p><p><strong>Behaviour<\/strong><\/p><p>Edimmu come at night into the houses of their surviving family. They demand attention, neglected mourning rites, missed offerings of water and flour. If they are not appeased, they cause illness, nightmares, and misfortune. The threat is persistent: a single neglected <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span> can entail years of being haunted.<\/p><p><strong>Sphere of effect<\/strong><\/p><p>Sleep disturbances, nightmares, headaches, melancholy, illness in the family, infertility, failure in business. Mesopotamian diagnosis potentially assigned a broad range of nonspecific complaints to the Edimmu complex, comparable to Jewish-rabbinic Lilith diagnostics.<\/p><p><strong>Appearance and symbolism<\/strong><\/p><p><em>Edimmu<\/em> are depicted as human figures, but ethereal, grey, or transparent, with a spirit-like glow. They carry the clothing or features from their life with them into the underworld, but these fade in the transition. Their eyes are empty or full of sorrow.<\/p><p>Sometimes only a black or grey silhouette is visible. <em>Edimmu<\/em> do not have the substantiality of physical bodies; they can pass through walls and vanish. Their presence is often accompanied by cold or a kind of dread.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Edimmu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of the Edimmu at a glance. The detailed treatment of name, description, defence, and parallels can be found in chapters 2, 3, 5, and 6.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Tradition<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A former human who was not properly buried, whose care of the dead was neglected, or who died violently and forgotten. In other words: not a creation, but the consequence of a neglect.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu's target group<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Above all relatives who neglected the burial or the <em>kispu<\/em>. In addition: travellers who pass places of improper burials or of violent death.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu's appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shadowy, pale, gaunt, human-like. Not a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being that unites the features of various living creatures.\" tabindex=\"0\">hybrid being<\/span>. Its presence shows itself more in symptoms and dreams than in clear images.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu's effect<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Exhaustion, chronic illness, nightmares, inexplicable suffering among family members. More a lasting affliction than a sudden attack.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A belated burial or a substitute ritual, regular <em>kispu<\/em> offerings for the dead, incantations for appeasement and for the return to the underworld.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu's parallels<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Lemures (Roman), Keres and the unburied souls in Homer (Greek), hungry ghosts (Chinese-Buddhist), revenants (Germanic), modern poltergeist motifs.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Defence in everyday life<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Rituals of defence<\/strong><\/p><p>The central <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span> is the <em>kispu<\/em>, the regular feeding of the dead with water, bread, and flour, monthly at the new moon and on the annual day of remembrance. Together with this came the oral <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> of the dead by name.<\/p><p>In cases of acute haunting, incantation texts from the Maql\u00fb series were used: the burning of clay figurines, incense offerings of juniper, protective circles around the house. Tablet XII of the Gilgamesh Epic gives a detailed instruction for appeasing the Edimmu of an unburied fallen warrior.<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">Cult<\/span> and veneration<\/strong><\/p><p>The &#8220;<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>&#8221; of the <em>Edimmu<\/em> was practised through <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Veneration of a family's deceased members as enduringly active protective powers.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancestor veneration<\/span> and rites for the dead. Families would honour their deceased relatives with offerings and prayers in order to keep their <em>Edimmu<\/em> calm and content in the underworld.<\/p><p>Priests performed rituals to ward off or appease evil <em>Edimmu<\/em>. Graves were supplied with offerings to nourish and pacify the <em>Edimmu<\/em>. Improperly buried or cursed <em>Edimmu<\/em> were a source of great fear and required specialist powers to be driven off.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Edimmu, parallels in other cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>The Greco-Roman world<\/strong><\/p><p>The Keres in Homer and above all the Roman Lemures, restless souls that arise from unburied or angry dead, correspond largely in function to the Edimmu. The festival of the <em>Lemuria<\/em> in Rome is an institutionalised response to this <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring thematic element in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>East Asia:<\/strong> The Buddhist-influenced &#8220;hungry ghosts&#8221; (preta, egui) of the Chinese-Japanese-Korean tradition arise from unfulfilled bonds and improper rites. The Hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ghost<\/span> Festival regularly restores the ritual provision for the dead.<\/p><p><strong>Europe (<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span>):<\/strong> Revenant and poltergeist motifs in Germanic and Slavic folk belief take up the same basic idea: a deceased person returns because <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span>, justice, or farewell were incomplete. The defence is in turn at the same time a form of restitution.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9302b7d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp9302b7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3f157fb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp3f157fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The restless dead: causes and logic<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp41008d0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp41008d0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1c68ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp1c68ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> (Sumerian <em>gidim<\/em>, often written <em>edimmu<\/em> in the older research literature) is at first nothing threatening in Mesopotamian thought. The word denotes quite generally the spirit of the dead, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of a deceased person.<\/p><p>Every human becomes an <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> after death. In the normal case this <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> descends into the underworld, finds its place there, and is supplied through the regular offerings made for the dead by its descendants.<\/p><p>The <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> becomes dangerous only when this orderly transition fails.<\/p><p>The texts name the causes precisely: a person who was not properly buried, whose corpse remained unburied or drifted in the water; a person who left no descendants and therefore receives no care of the dead; a person who died a violent, premature, or unnatural death.<\/p><p>Such dead find no rest. Their <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> remains bound to the world of the living and returns.<\/p><p>The restless <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> then haunts the living. It afflicts a person, enters them through the ear, and causes illness, headache, weakness, mental confusion.<\/p><p>This idea is consistent from a religious-studies perspective: the spirit of the dead wants what it lacks, burial and provision, and it obtains it by pressing upon a living person until that person or their family provides <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A representation worked in raised relief out of a surface.\" tabindex=\"0\">relief<\/span>.<\/p><p>The belief in the <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> turned the social duty of proper burial and care of the dead into a matter of one&#8217;s own health. Whoever neglected the dead risked their return.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp83df163 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp83df163\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp11c77de elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp11c77de\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Treatment in the healing arts: diagnosis and incantation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpea16c28 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpea16c28\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpbdb4429 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpbdb4429\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> is one of the most frequent causes of illness in Mesopotamian medicine and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of events through special acts or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magic<\/span>.<\/p><p>The diagnostic texts, above all the great series <em>Sakikk\u016b<\/em> (&#8220;Symptoms&#8221;), associated in research with the work of Nils Hee\u00dfel, list complexes of symptoms that were interpreted as the &#8220;hand of a spirit of the dead&#8221; (<em>q\u0101t e\u1e6demmi<\/em>).<\/p><p>The incantation priest, the <em>\u0101\u0161ipu<\/em>, determined from the signs of illness whether an <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> was at work, and derived the treatment from this.<\/p><p>A separate group of texts, compiled in an edition by JoAnn Scurlock under the title of &#8220;ghost-induced illnesses&#8221;, documents the therapy in detail. It included incantations, ointments, potions, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulets<\/span>, and ritual acts.<\/p><p>An important procedure was to identify the spirit of the dead and then to appease it through <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> or to send it back to the underworld.<\/p><p>Sometimes the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which an effect on the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> was given retroactively the burial or the care of the dead that it had lacked; sometimes it was bound to a substitute, for example a figurine, and thereby detached from the patient.<\/p><p>These sources are especially valuable for the history of religion because they show how closely medicine, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of events through special acts or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magic<\/span>, and the cult of the dead were interwoven in Mesopotamia. The treatment of the sick person was at the same time the treatment of a disturbed relationship between the living and the dead.<\/p><p>The <em>\u0101\u0161ipu<\/em> was not an exorcist in the later sense, who drove out an enemy, but rather a mediator who restored a fractured social relationship, except that one of the parties was already dead. Related illness-causing powers, against which the same specialists acted, were the <a href=\"\/en\/rabisu\/\">Rabisu<\/a> and the <em>utukku<\/em> demons.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp80cd23c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp80cd23c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5308c81 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp5308c81\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The kispu offerings and the care of the dead<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9eacb7e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp9eacb7e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp62f6bcd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp62f6bcd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most effective precaution against a restless <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> was the regular, proper care of the dead, the <em>kispu<\/em>. This term denotes the offerings for the dead and the commemorative rites that descendants had to perform for their deceased ancestors.<\/p><p>The <em>kispu<\/em> consisted at its core of the presentation of food and above all of water for the dead, combined with the speaking of their names.<\/p><p>These rites had a fixed place in the calendar. There were regular, often monthly days of remembrance, and the month of Abu in high summer was regarded as a special time of commemoration of the dead, in which the connection between the worlds was thought to be permeable.<\/p><p>The care concerned not only the recently deceased but reached back across generations; in the royal houses, long lists of ancestors were read out at the <em>kispu<\/em>.<\/p><p>The logic behind this is clear: a dead person who is supplied through the <em>kispu<\/em>, whose name is spoken and whose thirst is quenched, remains content in the underworld and does not return.<\/p><p>A dead person who is forgotten, whose family has died out or has neglected the care, becomes a hungry, thirsty, restless <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em>.<\/p><p>The care of the dead was thus not mere <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span>, but a contract between the generations with immediate consequences. The living supplied the dead and thereby bought themselves peace from them; the dead, for their part, could also be well disposed towards the living when they were satisfied.<\/p><p>The <em>e\u1e6demmu<\/em> belief and the <em>kispu<\/em> <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> are the two sides of the same relationship to the world of the deceased.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"\/en\/gallu\/\">Gallu, a related Mesopotamian enforcer demon<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/lamashtu\/\">Lamashtu, a related demoness<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/pazuzu\/\">Pazuzu, an apotropaic protective figure<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/ereshkigal\/\">Ereshkigal, mistress of the underworld<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/nergal\/\">Nergal, god of the underworld<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/rabisu\/\">Rabisu, a related lurking demon<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/mesopotamia\/\">Mesopotamian tradition, the overall context<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Bott\u00e9ro, Jean: <em>Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods<\/em>. University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1992.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Black, Jeremy \/ Green, Anthony: <em>Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia<\/em>. British Museum Press, London 1992.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Wiggermann, Frans A.M.: <em>Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ritual<\/span> Texts<\/em>. Styx, Groningen 1992.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Scurlock, JoAnn: <em>Magico-Medical Means of Treating Ghost-Induced Illnesses in Ancient Mesopotamia<\/em>. Brill, Leiden 2006.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Foster, Benjamin R.: <em>Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature<\/em>. CDL Press, Bethesda 2005.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Hee\u00dfel, Nils P.: <em>Babylonisch-assyrische Diagnostik<\/em>. AOAT 43, M\u00fcnster 2000.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-edimmu-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-edimmu-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-edimmu\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-edimmu-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-edimmu-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here is a religious-studies classification of historical traditions. iWell Guard ties into this cultural-historical line of portable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">More about the iWell Guard \u2192<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1441f2e e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1441f2e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93e86c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"93e86c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently asked questions about Edimmu<\/h2><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What were Edimmu in Mesopotamian religion?<\/h3><p>Edimmu (Sumerian GIDIM, Akkadian e\u1e6dimmu) were, in Mesopotamian religion, the spirits of the deceased, specifically of those who received no proper burial or whose family brought them no offerings for the dead.<\/p><p>They are the Mesopotamian counterpart to the ghosts and haunting spirits that remain in this world to torment the living, through illness, nightmares, accidents, and misfortune. In the Gilgamesh Epic, the Edimmu of Enkidu returns from the underworld and tells Gilgamesh of the conditions among the dead.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>How did people protect themselves against an Edimmu?<\/h3><p>The most important method was proper burial and the regular offering for the dead (kispum), bread, beer, and water for the ancestors.<\/p><p>If an Edimmu returned nonetheless, incantation tablets helped, as did the namburbi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> (a kind of dissolution <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span>) and the invocation of the Mesopotamian gods, especially \u0160ama\u0161 (sun god and judge) and Marduk.<\/p><p>A typical <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> consisted of forming a clay figure of the Edimmu, inscribing it with the name of the spirit, and symbolically burying it or throwing it into the water.<\/p><\/div><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What were Edimmu in Mesopotamian religion?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Edimmu (Sumerian GIDIM, Akkadian e\\u1e6dimmu) were, in Mesopotamian religion, the spirits of the deceased, specifically of those who received no proper burial or whose family brought them no offerings for the dead. They are the Mesopotamian counterpart to the ghosts and haunting spirits that remain in this world to torment the living, through illness, nightmares, accidents, and misfortune. In the Gilgamesh Epic, the Edimmu of Enkidu returns from the underworld and tells Gilgamesh of the conditions among the dead.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How did people protect themselves against an Edimmu?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The most important method was proper burial and the regular offering for the dead (kispum), bread, beer, and water for the ancestors. If an Edimmu returned nonetheless, incantation tablets helped, as did the namburbi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> (a kind of dissolution <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span>) and the invocation of the Mesopotamian gods, especially \\u0160ama\\u0161 (sun god and judge) and Marduk. A typical <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> consisted of forming a clay figure of the Edimmu, inscribing it with the name of the spirit, and symbolically burying it or throwing it into the water.\"}}]}<\/script>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edimmu, Spirit of the Mesopotamian Tradition Edimmu is a spirit of the Mesopotamian tradition. A restless spirit of the dead that appears when the burial was neglected. SpiritMesopotamiaSpirit of the dead Table of contents Edimmu In Mesopotamian demonology, the Edimmu is not a created figure but the consequence of human neglect. It arises when a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4755,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Edimmu","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Edimmu: Spirit of the Mesopotamian Tradition | iWell Guard","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"In Mesopotamian demonology, the Edimmu is not a created figure but the consequence of human neglect. It arises when a...","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,85,93],"class_list":["post-4754","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-mesopotamia","category-spirits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Edimmu: Spirit of the Mesopotamian Tradition | iWell Guard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Mesopotamian demonology, the Edimmu is not a created figure but the consequence of human neglect. 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