Ardat-lilî

[4] The second half is derived from the Akkadian word lilû, a loanword from Sumerian LIL2, which in turn depending on context can refer to winds, ghosts or demons.

[10][b] While demons were typically less well defined than deities in Mesopotamian beliefs,[12] Daniel Schwemer [de] stresses that in the case of ardat-lilî it is nonetheless possible to speak of a "detailed, standardized set of motifs".

[19] A single incantation additionally states that while still alive, ardat-lilî was unable to partake in a festival (isinnu) alongside other girls, which according to Julia Krul is most likely an allusion to a specific unidentified event which was focused on young women, as opposed to a general reference to religious celebrations.

[30] Ardat-lilî appears alongside lilû and lilītu in an incantation targeting mimma lemnu,[31] "any evil", a personification of a formula referring to any possible cause of harm which has befallen a person.

[35] In the Assur Medical Catalogue, it is described as the cause of la’bu, which has been variously interpreted as a skin disease, a type of fever, or as a reference to an unidentified bodily fluid.

[36] An astrological text from Sultantepe indicates that the twelfth day of the month was believed to be particularly suitable for performing rituals meant to ward off ardat-lilî.

[5][21] It belonged to the curriculum of Old Babylonian scribal schools, and as a result is well documented in the archeological record, with seventy four copies recovered as of 2014.

[39] While part of the narrative was later translated into Akkadian and incorporated into the Epic of Gilgamesh, the section dealing with the ḫalub tree was not, possibly due to thematically overlapping with the myth of the cedar forest.

[41] In ancient Mesopotamia demons were not an object of cult, and it was believed they are incapable of heeding prayers of humans the way gods were supposed to.

[44] While it has been suggested that a passage in the Old Babylonian hymn to Ishtar preserved on the tablet AO 6035 might refer to the eponymous deity as the mistress of ardat-lilî or another similarly named demon, Michael P. Streck and Nathan Wasserman conclude that the word līlu, "evening", is meant instead.