Urmahlullu : The Lion Man

Urmahlullu

Introduction

The Urmahlullu is a monster that has its roots in Mesopotamian mythology, tradition, and folklore. Particularly, stories of their existence suggested that they were highly regarded by society as a whole. As a kind of protection spell for times when they couldn’t be present, clay figurines of the Urmahlullu would be carved into the walls where their services were used. They are quadrupedal felines from the waist down and humanoids from the waist up, and they have appeared in tales and folklore from a number of ancient cultures, as well as in Middle Ages and Early Renaissance paintings in Europe.

Physical Traits

The urmahlullu (“untamed lion man”) was a legendary lion-centaur-like creature from ancient Mesopotamia. It was sometimes represented as carrying a club and wearing a cap of divinity. The Urmahlullu resembles a leonine centaur in every way. This means that while the lower half of its body resembles a lion, the upper half of its body resembles a person.

The upper half of a person can have characteristics that are common to many different ethnic groups, including those from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and more. Like the lion species itself, the breed of lion that its lower half most closely resembles varies depending on geography, etc.

Family

Additionally, Urmahlullu can be seen on square and cylinder seals discovered during Kalibangan excavations, an Indus Valley city-state. A lion-centaur goddess wearing a headdress with a long necklace, whose body merges with the tiger’s, is depicted in one image, according to a researcher. This goddess is linked to a later Hindu goddess.

Other names

Outside ancient Babylon, the urmahlullu was referred to as Leocentaur, Leotaur, Lion Centaur, Lion-Man, Lionman, Lion-Taur or Liontaur

Powers and Abilities

As a protector spirit, its representation was employed to fend off numerous evil demons, such as the lavatory demon Ulak and the winged death demon Mukl r Lemutti.  When families were wealthy enough to have restrooms on the premises, statues of Urmahlulu were occasionally buried on either side of the restroom door or placed outside restrooms, like at Nineveh’s North Palace.

Modern Day Influence

In the video game Final Fantasy XII, players encounter an adversary known as Urmahlullu, a creature reminiscent of a lion-centaur complete with a club and a horned helmet. This formidable foe lurks within the treacherous Zertinan Caverns, a dungeon riddled with traps and concealed passageways.

Within the pages of the comic book series Fables, readers meet Leo Lillie, a character embodying the urmahlullu archetype and a vital member of the 13th Floor Witches. In Russell Hoban’s novel “The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz,” an urmahlullu serves as a symbol, representing the enigmatic and potent qualities associated with lions.