Changing Loyalties: The Good Udug and Evil Lama
Having established the general characteristics of both the udug and the lama, we turn now to the circumstances where they act against the expected pattern of said characteristics and behaviour; namely, when we see the udug appearing in a positive role, or the lama in a negative one.
The udug, with its malleable character, takes to this change without too much trouble, and, despite its continued role as a malevolent figure, appears benevolently in literary texts, royal hymns, and incantations. The first category includes the literary text of Lugalbanda, as discussed above, but the incantations provide the most interesting examples of this ability. It should be noted, however, that both Lugalbanda stories employ the good udug as one of the king's protective spirits.Of course, the attestations to the benevolent udug are vastly outnumbered by the number of times it appears in a malevolent role. In examining the texts wherein the good udug does appear, one pattern becomes immediately clear: the ever-present pairing of the udug sa6-ga and the lama sa6-ga. When the benevolent udug does appear, it appears alongside the lama, allowing the latter to act as the exemplar by which the udug's behaviour is patterned. Although the udug appearing benevolently may be irregular, the pairing of a evil udug (udug hul) and good lama (lama sa6-ga) would be unacceptable, particularly in light of the position of such a line within the incantation, where either two positive or two negative figures would be required.
The narrative of incantations falls into a very particular pattern when considering the aforementioned Marduk-Ea incantation formula, and even the incantations that do not visibly cite the markers of the Marduk-Ea formula may still mimic its structure, as seen in the incantation quoted below. This incantation, an exorcism against the demon Lamashtu, follows the conventions of structure and narrative that we would expect from an incantation conforming to the Marduk-Ea formula.
We see the standard conventions of the formula within the text—the introduction of the affliction and list of evils causing it; Asalluhi questioning Enki/Ea on how to solve said affliction, and then receiving instructions that he then carries out to drive away the evil and heal the patient. In following along the Marduk-Ea pattern of the text, we come to the section wherein Asalluhi is given instructions, to alleviate the demonic presence, which is quoted in the excerpt below:nam-sub eriduki-ga u-me-sum
dudug hul a-la hul dgidim hul gal5-l[a] hul ddimx.me ddimx.a lu hul igi hul ka hul eme hul bar-se he-im-ta-gub dudug sa6-ga dlama sa6-ga he-im-da-su8-su8-ge-es[50]
Once you cast the incantation of Eridu,
The evil udug, evil ala, evil ghost, evil galla,
Lamashtu, Labasu,
Evil man, evil eye, evil mouth, evil tongue—
They [all] will stand aside!
The benevolent udug and benevolent lama will stand attendant!
In the closing lines of the incantation, we have the key aspects of how the good udug (udug sa6-ga) and the evil udug (udug hul) interact. We see here that the evil udug appears in proximity to the good udug, and both appear divinized, written with the divine marker, as do several of the other demons in the text. The close proximity of the two seems to pose no particular quandaries for the text or its audience.
Furthermore, the closing line of this incantation demonstrates another aspect of the udug's benevolence: when it does appear in this role, it appears in a set phrase. Thus it is even further distanced from any unique identifying characteristics, sparse though they may be when seen in conjunction with the evil attestations of the demon. That phrase, when appearing in incantations, follows the general pattern of the line quoted at the close of the incantation above, appearing as:
udug sa6-ga dlama sa6-ga he-em-da-su8-su8-ge-es
The benevolent udug and benevolent lama will stand attendant!
While there is some variation possible with the particular Sumerian verbs in this line, the basic principle remains intact.
The phrase appears close to the end of pertinent incantations, an assurance that the patient will be relieved from his sickness and returned to good health, and the supernatural figures of the udug and lama maintain a clearly delineated and protected space around the exorcist and the patient.Conclusions concerning the udug are, in some regards, as tenuous as the demon itself. What is clear, however, is that the udug is inherently malicious, and even when the term is used to describe a group of demons, the demons within its purview are equally malevolent. The demon is a direct threat to mankind in the incantations wherein it appears, inflicting the harm that required the intervention of the asipu. Its origins are not detailed in incantations, and it does not fall under the direct command of any major deity. Much like the term, the nature of the udug appears to be one of chaotic malignancy, and it appears benevolently only when paired with the lama.