"Their Divinity is Different, their Nature is Distinct!" Nature, Origin, and Features of Demons in Akkadian Literature

“Demon” is a generic term that hardly fits the various Mesopotamian beings, which according to modern scholars are grouped under this category. Despite the evolution of demonic imagery through different periods and sources, these beings share a series of common features such as their origin, position and role in the pantheon, liminality, actions and powers, hybridity, and aerial form. In my paper I will analyze these features so as to argue that incompleteness constitutes the main aspect of their nature.