Gender Feminine
Usage Near Eastern Mythology, Akkadian
Scripts 𒀭𒈕𒈨(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Other Forms FormsLamaštu
Meaning & History
Possibly means "she who erases", deriving from the Akkadian element pašāṭu ("to erase"). Name borne by a female demon thought to menace women during childbirth. Since her name was written with the symbol 𒀭 (dingir, used to signify the name of a deity), and she is described as acting malevolently of her own accord (rather than at the direction of the gods), it is hypothesised that she was a goddess or demigoddess in her own right.