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“and it is the able magician indeed who can remove PAZUZU once he has laid hold of a man, for PAZUZU lays hold unto death.”
In order to understand the origins of these words, we must first consider what is mentioned about Pazuzu in the Simon Necronomicon’s introductory notes. Under the subheading The Devil, we read:
“PAZUZU was a prime example of the type of Devil of which the Sumerians were particularly aware, and which they depicted constantly in their carvings and statues. The purpose of this iconography was to ward off the spiritual – and psychic – circumstances which would precipitate a plague, or some other evil. “Evil to destroy evil.”
Now this passage raises up an interesting question for the Necronomicon Practitioner of analytical thought. If Pazuzu was summoned by the Ancient Mesopotamians to ward off evil wouldn’t this be the same function as the “Watcher”? This question is answered in the Urilia Text’s passage bout Pazuzu. The origin of this description of Pazuzu is found in Spiritism And The Cult of the Dead in Spiritism by Lewis Bayles Paton states:
“When once a man had entered Sheol the Babylonians believed that it was impossible for him to return to life again. The Underworld was “the land of no return,” or “the enduring dwelling.” Its watchman, the “Lurker of Nergal,” does. not release when once he has seized a man.”
It is interesting that we find the description of the Underworld’s Watchmen is the same as what is mentioned concerning Pazuzu in the Simon Necronomicon:
“and it is the able magician indeed who can remove PAZUZU once he has laid hold of a man, for PAZUZU lays hold unto death.”
Based on a comparative analysis of this text, we can safely say that Pazuzu’s description in the Urilia Text does have an authentic origin and will be examined further in the second part of this discussion.