The other horned serpent, the uĆĄum baĆĄmu, or uĆĄumgallu. Unlike the previous serpent, uĆĄumgallu is usually reserved for horned snakes with two legs (be they leonine or aquiline) and, rarely, a pair of wings. Again separating it from the baĆĄmu is that is almost never has more than one head. Some translators use "hydra" to mean baĆĄmu while relegating "dragon" for uĆĄumgallu. Its name can variously be translated as "great dragon" or "prime venomous snake" or even simply "predator". The stories told of it paint the uĆĄumgallu as a true monster, a being of destructive force. Also unlike its many brothers, uĆĄumgallu is usually given as a name for an individual monster, though this may not be true for all Mesopotamian traditions. When it is alone it is a monster of such great terror that gods and heroes earn their name by their defeat. Nabu, who the Babylonians considered the son* of Marduk, was named "he who tramples the lion-dragon". An Assyrian king seeking to please the god Ninurta (sometimes Nergal) placed golden uĆĄumgallu at his statue. It was clearly not a beast that loved the gods. Even the Apkallu had to drive it away from the temple of Ishtar, lest it defile her place. The only gods associated with it were those able to kill it in battle. Mortal kings would often be represented as uĆĄumgallu or called their name.
*first draft incorrectly called Nabu the father of Marduk.
But, why lion-dragon? There's already an iconographic lion dragon, but it's never in a position as described above. Well, this may be a case of translation. UĆĄumgallu's name can be split up into uĆĄum and gallu, which you may recall was also a part of Ugallu's name. The first part is usually agreed to be something relating to great or awesome. The second part is trickier. Sometimes itâs beast, other times enemy or adversary, and the most published is lion. Together though, uĆĄumgallu almost always refers to the clawed serpent emblazoned with horns. To further confuse things, uĆĄumgallu was once the primary symbol of several gods, possibly including Marduk, before it was replaced by the more popular muĆĄáž«uĆĄĆĄu. Then all the gods associated with muĆĄáž«uĆĄĆĄu got stuck with uĆĄumgallu. Mushussu may represent a transition from the two-legged uĆĄumgallu to a more streamlined, imposing figure, combining three deadly beasts. Regardless, uĆĄumgallu was still treated with a great deal of respect in the ancient world. Like in English, where one might refer to a tyrant as Dragon, uĆĄumgallu was both respected and feared for its powerful undertones. Only the greatest of the great could slay such a beast.
--Â Â This was actually the first one of this series I drew. Which is why it's probably better than most of them. Originally I was going to post it first, but was told that it would be better to save the dragons for last, which put him at the very back. The recreation of the depiction of usumgallu might look familiar to some as the most common figure associated with Tiamat. However, the depiction is also the closest to usumgallu, being a horned snake with the forelimbs of an eagle. I decided to make its horns rather ornate, because of its association with royalty. As well, its standing position is closer to a dinosaur than what's represented in the art to give it a bigger, more imposing form. Well, this series has been fun! Glad to end on a high note as well, I really like the design fo- what was that. W-why do I hear boss music? Next time, momma's home. And she's pissed.
