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Revision as of 09:56, 6 July 2006 by Bloody Angel (talk | contribs) (Ekimmu)

The evil Ghost of an individual who is denied entrance to the Underworld and is doomed to walk the earth for eternity, Ekimmu means "that which is snatched away".


Origin

In Sumerian mythology utukku were a spirit or a Demon, that could be either benevolent or evil. The evil was known as Edimmu or Ekimmu. The good ones were named Shedu. Utukku were supposed to do the will of Anu, the god of the Heavens. There were utukku of the plain, the mountains, the sea, and the grave.

Whatever the name, ekimmus they are Ghosts of those who were not buried properly, extremely vengeful toward the living.

They were said to be able to possess those who did not take into account certain taboos, like not to eat ox meat.

Ekimmu may cause disease and inspire criminal behavior in the living.

Sometimes they can be appeased by funeral repast.


Description

A person could become an ekimmu by dying a violent death such as murder, drowning, or any other unsavory death.

The ekimmu is very difficult to eradicate through exorcism. It is greatly feared.

Sometimes ekimmus attach themselves to any living person, regardless of the fact they had been acquainted with the dead one or not.

Violent death leaving a corpse mutilated or unburied was the prelude to a soul's tortured existence as ekimmus

A person could turn into one also if proper funeral rites were not observed or if there was no surviving family or if nobody cared for the soul.

Ekimmusfound the gates of the Underworld closed to them, so they wandered the earth, becoming a curse to anyone unfortunate enough to attract their unwanted attention.

Ekimmu was said to be the bringer of misfortune and death to its victims and their households. Its howling in the night warned the living of an impending demise.


Main Belief

Ekimmu’s origins date back 4000 BC. Originally they come from the Assyrians, then later shared by Babylonians, as well as interpreted by the Inuit and Eskimo tribes. A thousand years later they were feared by the Mesopotamian Empire, where the creature was believed to be an angry spirit unable to find peace.

Assyrians believed that after death a soul would enter the Underworld. There was no Heaven for these lovely people, for they described the afterlife as the House of Darkness, the Yet, there were certain souls that were so corrupt, that they would not even enter the Underworld. These are the souls that would become a roaming phantom, bringing torment and death to their seat of the god Irkalla, the House from which none that enter come forth again. They used to believe that once you pass into the afterlife, all you can feast on is dust and mud. Thus, the Ekimmu would mercilessly attack any passerby and would not only drink his blood, but eat his flesh. Although, they were known to take very little, and in some cultures were known to just feed off of energy.

Thus, they were also the first known psychic vampires that feed on human energy and their spiritual life force. This theory is also upheld by the fact that the Assyrians believed the Ekimmu could walk through doors and walls, like spirits.

Ekimmus were referred to as the evil gusts of wind.


=Modern belief

Today the Ekimmu is believed to be found among the homeless, living in steam tunnels, sewers, and abandoned buildings in decayed inner cities.

It is said that the Ekimmu cannot stand their existence, either by how they look or because they can’t ever find peace; and that drives them to insanity.

The Ekimmu has rarely been labeled as vampire, but it reminds the Utukku (also known as Uruku) meaning vampire, who preys upon men.


See Also


Links

Part of this article consists of modified text from Wikipedia, and the article is therefore licensed under GFDL.