(a) Demon. As for the evil robber Utukku-demon,
the evil Bailiff-demon, who lurks in the corner,
or the evil ghost and Sheriff-demon who do
not sleep,
they are the evil ones who wander about in the
city.
They strike down the cattle in the pen,
they slaughter the sheep in the sheepfold.
They seize the one lying in his wife’s room,
having taken the son from the nursemaid’s lap.
They murder the father and children together,
and they spear the mother together with chil-
dren like fish in the water.
They know neither prayer nor supplication,
they harass the man in the street.
514
Deafness has covered (the victim) and his eyes
have become dimmed. (Geller: 216, Utukku
Lemnu¯tu VI 77–89)
(b) Curse. An evil curse like a galluˆ-demon has come
upon (this) man,
dumbness (and) daze have come upon him,
an unwholesome dumbness has come upon
him,
evil curse, oath, headache.
An evil curse has slaughtered this man like a
sheep,
his god left his body,
his goddess (Sumerian adds: his mother), usu-
ally full of concern for him, has stepped
aside.
Dumbness (and) daze have covered him like a
cloak and overwhelm him incessantly.
(Reiner: 30, Šurpu V–VI 1–16)
(c) Witchcraft. Whoever you are, O witch, who has
taken out clay (for a figurine) of me from
the river,
Buried my figurines in a dark house,
Buried my (funerary) water in a grave,
Collected my leavings from a garbage pit,
Cut off my hem in the house of a launderer,
Collected the dust from my feet at the thresh-
old. (Abusch forthcoming: Maqluˆ II 183–88)