Créatures composites en Mésopotamie

Abstract

In the art and literature of ancient Mesopotamia, many hybrid beings can be found and possibly classified according to morphological criteria (the nature of the elements used in the composition, the process of the composition), according to their nature (demon, symbol or monster), according to their role(s) (guard, protector, knowledge keeper, able – thanks to their frightening or invincible character – to put a hero to the test, to decorate objects or buildings, to inspire respect for the divine one). In ancient Greece, composite beings haunt in the same way as in the mythological tales and have their place in the temples’ decor, or the vase painting. Working by comparison, it appears as highly probable that Mesopotamia would have the same origin as many Greek hybrids. These are identically composed and fulfill the same functions as those from Mesopotamia – indeed a detour through the Hittite world permits us to think that the latter may have played a role in passing on this heritage, even though each of these civilizations has conceived its own hybrid bodies according to their religious and mythological system.