| ekimmu
Ancient Assyria
Violent or other unsavory death that left a corpse mutilated or unburied was the prelude to a soul's tortured existence as an ekimmu. One could also become an ekimmu if the proper funeral rites were not observed at the graveside; if there was no surviving family; or if no body cared for the soul. The ekimmu found the gates of the underworld closed to it. It wandered the earth, becoming a curse to anyone unfortunate enough to attract its attention. The ekimmu brought misfortune and death to its victims and their households. Its howling in the night warned the living of their impending demise.
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