 Genie with bucket:
Winged
Genie holds the mullilu, usually a fir cone or male
flower of the date palm, in his right hand, with which he
purifies. In the left is the banduddu, the bucket, which
contains either water or pollen. These genies were protective
beings against malevolent demons.
 Genie
frieze:
Winged Genie blesses troops
before battle.
 Genie
Detail:
Some Genies wear the horned
Cap of Divinity. There were up to seven pairs of horns lining
the cap to denote divinity. The shape of the cap was either
domed or flat-topped and occasionally trimmed with feathers or
topped with a knob or fleur-de-lys. It is possible the
horns were derived from wild cattle, six feet at the shoulder
with wide-spreading horns, hunted by Assyrian kings and heroes.
Genie with poppy flower:
Genie blessing the poppy
plant in a fertilization ritual. Stylized trees, or sacred
trees, are common in Mesopotamian art, but not much is known of
the particulars of its use. Most information points towards a
blessing of the king, when a king is with the tree; a
purification ritual, when a genie is shown with the bucket and
cone; or actual fruit-picking, symbolizing a fertilization
ritual.
See more
pictures from the Musee Louvre, Paris France.
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Grotesques
