Bible tours are a familiar sight at the British Museum. There are many artefacts in its collections that are associated with various books of the Bible - the current exhibition Babylon makes these links explicit. But why should Christians have it all their own way?

Lambert, Wilfred George (1970). "Inscribed Pazuzu Heads from Babylon". Forschungen und Berichte. 12: 41–T4. doi: 10.2307/3880639. JSTOR 3880639. Pazuzu is the god of the southwestern wind and who is associated with the plague. [1] Pazuzu was invoked in apotropaic amulets, which combat the powers of his rival, [30] the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Although Pazuzu is considered an evil spirit, he was called upon to ward off other malicious spirits. He would protect humans against any variety of misfortune or plague. [31] Origin and history [ edit ] Given the number of artifacts uncovered, it can probably be inferred that Pazuzu enjoyed great popularity, [9] and based upon the uniformity of the heads, amulets and statues, it has even been speculated that such representations of the demon/god were mass-produced. [8] Ritual texts [ edit ] Once we learn the truth about Pazuzu’s purpose, Jony’s theory has legs. Was it in fact Pazuzu who forced the demons from young Regan’s body, and not the failed exorcisms by the two priests? As noted in World History Encyclopedia, the word “demon” in ancient times had a slightly different meaning from the current understanding. Following the spread of Christianity, demons are considered to be the spawn of Satan, creatures from Hell who enact their evil will over the humans of Earth as well as in Hell.Linda Blair received her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination before it was widely known that previous Supporting Actress winner Mercedes McCambridge had actually provided the voice of the demon. By Academy rules once Blair was given the nomination it could not be withdrawn, but the controversy about Blair being given credit for another actress' work ruined her chances of winning the award.

Pazuzu is the demon of the southwest wind known for bringing famine during dry seasons, and locusts during rainy seasons. Pazuzu was invoked in apotropaic amulets, which combat the powers of his rival, the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Although Pazuzu is, himself, considered to be an evil spirit, he drives and frightens away other evil spirits, therefore protecting humans against plagues and misfortunes. (1) He is imagined as an especially frightening figure capable of scaring off any lesser demon or ghost. Pazuzu is represented in statuettes and engravings with bulging eyes in a canine face, a scaly body, snake-headed penis, the talons of a large bird, and enormous wings. In the opening scenes of The Exorcist he is depicted accurately in the life-sized statue the priest looks upon in the ancient city of Hatra. As an apotropaic entity, he was considered as both a destructive and dangerous wind, but also as a repellant to other demons, one who would safeguard the home from their influence. In particular he was protective of pregnant women and mothers, whom he could defend from the machinations of the demoness Lamashtu, his rival. He is invoked in ritual and representations of him are used as defense charms.Besides Mercedes McCambridge's lawsuit for credit on the film, Eileen Deitz also charged that she played the role of the demon during the exorcism scene. Director William Friedkin denies this, and has cited that Deitz's actual screen time is less that one minute, as she served as little more than a body double for Linda Blair. Nevertheless, Deitz, as of 2014, continues to promote herself as "Captain Howdy," the demon from this film, in interviews and at horror conventions around the world.

Images of Pazuzu are similar to those of other Mesopotamian demons, but with some distinct characteristics. Pazuzu’s head takes on a more rectangular shape and features horns, heavy eyebrows, a two-pronged beard, and an open canine-like mouth displaying his teeth and tongue. The scene in the plaque shows Pazuzu protecting the patient during the exorcism ritual/medical procedure. Pazuzu first appeared in William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist in 1971. [1] The novel is about a 12-year-old girl, Regan MacNeil, possessed by a demon. The demon is later revealed to be Pazuzu; though never explicitly stated to be the demon, two references were made about his statue, which was uncovered in the prologue by Father Lankester Merrin in northern Iraq. After Regan's mother worries about her daughter being possessed, Merrin and Karras arrive at her house and perform an exorcism on Regan and successfully force the demon out of Regan's body. In their struggle to free Regan from the thrall of Pazuzu, both priests perish.Based on the archaeological record, depictions of Pazuzu seemingly sprung up, fully realized, out of nowhere. Pazuzu’s appearance did not change over time; it was as if the world simply came to an understanding about who he was and what he looked like.