Labartu

Lore

Labartu—or in another variant, Lamashtu—translates as “she who erases” or “the annihilator.” In legend, Labartu is regarded as a goddess or demigoddess, possessed of free will and acting outside the direct influence of the great gods.

In classical imagery, Labartu’s head is that of a lion; long, pointed ears jut upward, and broad, blunt donkey-like teeth clash with the predatory skull. In moments of aggression her jaws snap open in a bestial roar, a long curved tongue lolling out. Her torso is human yet sinewy, the musculature sharply defined, her entire skin cloaked in thick fur. Every limb is built for rending flesh and locking onto prey. Her legs end in the powerful scaled talons of the predator bird Anzu, the hooked claws able to punch through armor. In each hand she grips a writhing, two-headed venomous serpent, used as a living whip or a source of deadly poison. A feverish aura of heat and menace hangs about her.

Labartu is the daughter of Anu, the supreme sky god. Though she once lived in the heavenly courts, she exhibited unprecedented cruelty and twisted desires. Legend says she openly demanded the gods’ permission to feast on the flesh and blood of human infants. For these vile acts and her rebellious nature, Anu hurled her from the heavens to the earth.

Cast out of the pantheon, the demoness became a wanderer. She haunts swamps and reed-choked marshes, mountains and desolate badlands, the ruins of cities. A solitary creature, she tolerates no rivals and is quick to confront other greater demons.