Ancient Life: The Dog-Demon

“Incantation (against diseases) of the house of [the god] Ea: Concerning a man whom a snake attacks, or a scorpion attacks, or a rabid dog attacks, and to whom it passes its venom … (The water) shall be cleansed in his pure tube. Cast the spell into the water! Feed the water to the patient, so that the venom itself can go out (of the body).” So reads a magical incantation from the ancient Babylonian “Tale of Ninurta-paqidat’s Dog Bite,” which describes how a man from the southern Mesopotamian city of Nippur attempts to ward off disease after being […]