Tammuz
Tammuz is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.
Profile
Origin
Tammuz's depiction in the Megami Tensei franchise is ultimately derived from Arifumi Satō's book Sekai Yōkai Zukan, in which タムズ Tamuzu is described as a scorpion from Spain covered in black moss that drives people insane.[1] Satō likely partially derived his depiction from the Dictionnaire Infernal's Thamuz, though the only traces of this are the name and the mention of Spain.
According to the Dictionnaire Infernal, Thamuz is a demon associated with fire and the inventor of artillery and women's bracelets,[2] and he is hell's ambassador to Spain.[3] The book also states that some scholars believe the "burned demon" Adonis to be the same as Thamuz.[4]
The name of the Dictionnaire's Thamuz is presumably derived from Tammuz, the Hebrew name of Dumuzi, a Mesopotamian deity of agriculture and shepherds. Dumuzi is the husband of Inanna, and, each year, Dumuzi spends half the year in the underworld. Dumuzi was formerly seen in scholarship as an archetypal example of a common "dying and rising god" motif related to the seasonal cycle of vegetation (other examples being Osiris, Adonis, Attis, and Jesus Christ), following the publication of the volumes The Dying God and Adonis, Attis, Osiris of James G. Frazer's The Golden Bough. This alleged motif has been called into serious question since the latter half of the twentieth century, for instance by Jonathan Z. Smith in 1987.[5]
The initial profile for the Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei strategy guide only mentions the scorpion monster described by Satō.[6] The Mesopotamian god Tammuz would be mentioned in its profile from Megami Tensei II no Subete[7] and the profile written by Kazunari Suzuki for Shin Megami Tensei no Subete Akuma Fukkatsu-hen,[8] though they do not say that the demon actually is the Mesopotamian Tammuz. However, Tammuz's entry in the Demon Dictionary from the Game Boy Advance and iOS versions of Shin Megami Tensei would identify this demon as the Mesopotamian god, as would its profile in Kazuma Kaneko Works I.[9] The Akuma Fukkatsu-hen and Kaneko Works profiles suggest that the depiction as a scorpion probably comes from the death of Orion (in the former) or Tammuz (in the latter) by a scorpion sting,[8][9] though the latter does not actually die from a scorpion sting.
Design
In Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei, Tammuz is depicted as a scorpion with a human skull for a head.
Gameplay
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Last Bible Special
Compendium
| Compendium Entries | |
|---|---|
| Shin Megami Tensei(A-Mode DDS) | Origin: Spain A monstrous scorpion of Spain. He is also the Babylonian god of plants. He is Ishtar's brother and husband, whose name means "Loyal son." He is also known as a god of irrigation, and he is constantly dying and being reborn. |
Nomenclature
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese
|
タムズ | Thamuz |
Gallery
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Sprite of Tammuz from Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II.
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Animated sprite of Tammuz from Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II.
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A Sprite of Tammuz from the PlayStation version of Shin Megami Tensei
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A Sprite of Tammuz from the Mega-CD version of Shin Megami Tensei
References
- ↑ Soren and EirikrJS, Kaneko's Crib Notes LIII: Shigeru Mizuki, Master of Mysteries. Published August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2024. Tumblr.
- ↑ "Thamuz, démon du second ordre, inventeur de l'artillerie. Ses domaines sont les flammes, les grils, les bûchers. Quelques démonomanes lui attribuent l'invention des bracelets que les dames portent." Dictionnaire infernal (1863), Jacques Collin de Plancy. French. (6th ed.) p. 657.
- ↑ "Ambassadeurs. Belphégor, ambassadeur en France ; Mammon, ambassadeur en Angleterre ; Bélial, ambassadeur en Turquie ; Rimmon, ambassadeur en Russie; Thamuz, ambassadeur en Espagne ; Hutgin, ambassadeur en Italie ; Martinet, ambassadeur en Suisse, etc." Dictionnaire infernal (1863), Jacques Collin de Plancy. French. (6th ed.) pp. 186-187.
- ↑ "Adonis, démon brûlé. Selon les démonologues, il remplit quelques fonctions dans les incendies. Des savants croient que c'est le même que le démon Thamuz des Hébreux." Translation: "Adonis, burned demon. According to demonologists, he fulfills some functions in fires. Some scholars believe that he is the same as the demon Thamuz of the Hebrews." Dictionnaire infernal (1863), Jacques Collin de Plancy. French. (6th ed.) p. 8.
- ↑ "Dying and Rising Gods", The Encyclopedia of Religion (1987), Jonathan Z. Smith. ISBN-13: 978-0-02-909700-7.
- ↑ "スペインの
伝 説 にあるサソリの魔 物 。しっぽには強 力 な毒 がしこまえている。" Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei: Certain Victory Strategy Guide Perfect Edition (1987), Fighting Studio. Published by Futabasha. Japanese. p. 39. ISBN-13: 978-4-575-15160-2. - ↑ "スペインに伝わる、年老いたサソリの化物。太古より永遠に近い間、生き続けている。人を狂気に導くという。バビロニアの豊饒神タンムーズの、成れの果てか？" Megami Tensei II no Subete (1990), Daisuke Narisawa. Japanese. p. 51. ISBN-13: 978-4-88063-925-3.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "スペインの蠍の怪物だが、その起源はメソポタミアの狩人の神、夕ンムーズ神らしい。彼は死と再生のテーマに登場し、蠍に殺されたギリシア神話のオリオンの様な伝説を残している。" Shin Megami Tensei no Subete Akuma Fukkatsu-hen (1992), Kazunari Suzuki et al.. Published by JICC. p. 54. ISBN-13: 978-4-7966-0514-4.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "ヘブライ語の呼び名。タンムズとも。元々は牧畜を司るシュメールの青年神ドゥムジ。その名には“誠実な息子”という意味がある。バビロニア神話では愛と豊饒の女神イシュタルの兄にして夫である。復活したイシュタルの代わりに冥界へ行くことになるが、毎年春には地上世界に戻ってきた。こうしてタムズが死と再生を繰り返すことによって、大地に実りがもたらされた。ミルトンの叙事詩『失楽園』では反逆天使のひとり。イシュタルとの物語が乙女の情欲を誘うと非難されたことに由来する。本作では、NEUTRAL-NEUTRAL属性の魔獣で、蠍の姿とされた。タムズが蠍に殺されたという伝説が関係しているのだろう。頭は髑髏で、人間との融合が図られている。" Kazuma Kaneko Works I (2004). Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. p. 18. ISBN-13: 978-4-7753-0315-3.