What demon from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology is battled by Father Damien Karras in "The Exorcist" film series?
Pazuzu (The Exorcist) Pazuzu is the main antagonist in "The Exorcist" horror novels and film series, created by William Peter Blatty. Blatty derived the character from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, where Pazuzu was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and the son of the god Hanbi. In "The Exorcist", Pazuzu appears as a demon who possesses Regan MacNeil.
Šulak In the Babylonian magico-medical tradition, Šulak is the Lurker of the bathroom or the demon of the privy. Šulak appears in the Babylonian "Diagnostic Handbook" (Tablet XXVII), in which various diseases are described and attributed to the "hand" of a god, goddess, or spirit. A "Lurker" is a type of demon who lies in wait in places where a potential victim is likely to be alone. When a man attends to excretory functions or elimination, he is exposed and hence vulnerable: "Šulak will hit him!" The "hit" may be a type of "stroke" ("mišittu"). The demon referred to as "The Hitter" or "Striker" elsewhere in the handbook may be Šulak identified by an epithet. A much earlier reference to this demon is found in a Hittite diagnostic text.