In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Kilili, ki.li.li; was a female demon of Sumerian origin, likely associated with owls. She is also attested as a minor goddess who functioned as a servant of Ishtar. She was usually affiliated with Ishtar. Direct identification between them, while attested,[1] is limited to a single late esoteric explanatory text.[2]
Kilili has been identified with the winged goddess depicted in the Burney Relief. Frans Wiggermann, who has done a number of in-depth studies on Mesopotamian demons, asserts that the evidence for the figure as Kilili is the most compelling.[3] The figure on the relief is a goddess, associated with Ishtar (the presence of the lions), has birdlike qualities (linking to Kilili), and contains owls as well, the bird specifically affiliated with Kilili. [3]
Function and Associations
Kilili's name is that of a bird, most likely an owl.[4] In one document she is equated with dab-ba-šú-šú, meaning "she who leans on the window" in Sumerian.[4] She could be called as "queen of the windows", "the one of haunted places" and it assumed she was imagined as an owl-demoness.[5]
She was usually affiliated with Ishtar. Direct identification between them, while attested,[1] is limited to a single late esoteric explanatory text.[2] In the god list An = Anum she is one of Ishtar's eighteen messengers (lúkin-gi-a),[4] alongside other similar figures such as Barīrītu ("she who comes at dusk") and Abtagigi.[6] Kilili under the name dab-ba-šú-šú could be considered as a complement to the goddess Abtagigi, whose name means "retiring through the window."[6] Kilili can be considered as having a connection to sex due to her link with Ishtar, however the "window" in her name is likely not implicating prostitution, unlike for the succubus Kisikil-lila (also called Ardat-lilî).[6] The phrase "spilling through the window" can also reference various evils, and Kilili's name has no clear connection to that of Kisikil-lila.[6]
Worship
According to the Tākultu text from the Neo-Assyrian period, she was also worshiped in one of the temples of the goddess Gula,[4] located in Assur.[3] She was also present in neo-BabylonianUruk, as indicated by a document mentioning offerings of dates to her and a number of pieces of jewelry dedicated to her.[2] She continued to be worshiped there in the Seleucid period.[2] There is also evidence that she was worshipped elsewhere at a temple of Bēlet-Ninua in the neo-Babylonian period.[3]
Possible Depiction in The Burney Relief
The Burney Relief
The Burney Relief, also known as The Queen of the Night relief, is a terracotta panel from the Old Babylonian Period depicting a nude female figure, standing upon two lions flanked by owls.[7] The goddess possesses wings and birdlike talons, and wears a horned tiara.[7] Several theories as to which deity the relief depicts have been proposed, most commonly Inanna/Ishtar, due to the presence of her symbols (lions), the nudity, and the possible connection between the relief and the myth Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld.[7] Frans Wiggermann, who has done a number of in-depth studies on Mesopotamian demons, asserts that the evidence for the figure as Kilili is the most compelling.[3] The figure on the relief is a goddess, associated with Ishtar (the presence of the lions), has birdlike qualities (linking to Kilili), and contains owls as well, the bird affiliated with her.[3] Unaccounted for are the "loop-ring" symbols held in the hands of the goddess, though this is equally a mystery for any other identification of the goddess.[3]
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