[1] Laḫmu is depicted as a bearded man wearing a red garment (tillû)[2] Some texts mention a spade as the attribute of Lahmu.

They were generally believed to be servants of Enki/Ea (and later on of his son Marduk as well), and were described as the doorkeepers of his temple in Eridu and possibly as the "guardians of the sea" known from some versions of the Atra-Hasis.

[6] In god lists, a singular Lahmu sometimes appears among the ancestors of Anu alongside a feminine counterpart (Lahamu), following the primordial pair Duri and Dari (eternity) and other such figures and preceding Alala and Belili.

Wilfred G. Lambert wrote, "The history of these two [theogonies] shows that steps were sometimes taken quite specifically to avoid the implication of incest, which was socially taboo.

"[9] In the Enūma Eliš, compiled at a later date and relying on the tradition mentioned above, Lahmu is the first-born son of Abzu and Tiamat.