| Scorpion Men | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of an Assyrian intaglio depicting scorpion men. | |
|
Other Names |
Girtablullû |
|
First Appearance |
Mesopotamian Mythology |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Scorpion-men feature in several Akkadian language myths from ancient Mesopotamia, including the epic Enûma Elish and the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the visual arts, the form of scorpion-men varies, though they often have the head, torso, and arms of a man and the body and tail of a scorpion.
In the epic poem Enuma elish, a scorpion-man is listed among the monsters created by Tiamat in order to wage war against the gods for murdering her mate Apsu.
In the Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, they stand guard outside the gates of the sun god Shamash at the mountains of Mashu. These give entrance to Kurnugi, the land of darkness. The scorpion-men open the doors for Shamash as he travels out each day, and close the doors after him when he returns through the netherworld at night. When Gilgamesh comes to Mount Mashu, he encounters scorpion-men guarding the gate. Their "terror is awesome" and their "glance is death".
Scorpion-women also appear in the Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, during Gilgamesh's encounter with the scorpion-men. The scorpion-man tells his "female" (presumably a scorpion-woman, here seen for the first time), that Gilgamesh carries the flesh of the gods in his body. The scorpion-man's "woman" responds, in defining lines, that Gilgamesh is two-thirds god but one-third human.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Scorpion Men from before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Enuma Elish
- Epic of Gilgamesh