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. Assyriolgist Frans Wiggermann, who specializes in the study of origins and development of Mesopotamian apotropaic creatures and demons, assumes that this tradition had its origin in
Upper Mesopotamia. Lahmu and Lahamu are not necessarily siblings in this context. Long lists of divine ancestors of
Enlil or Anu from some god lists were at least sometimes meant to indicate that the gods worshiped by the Mesopotamians were not the product of incestuous relationships.
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." 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. He and his sister
Laḫamu are the parents of
Anshar and
Kishar, parents of Anu and thus ancestors of Ea and Marduk according to this specific theogony. Both of them bestow 3 names upon Marduk after his victory. However, Lahmu – presumably of the same variety as the apotropaic rather than cosmological one – also appears among Tiamat's monsters. A fragmentary Assyrian rewrite of Enuma Elish replaced Marduk with
Ashur, equated with
Anshar, with Lahmu and Lahamu replacing Ea/Enki and
Damkina.
Wilfred G. Lambert described the result as "completely superficial in that it leaves the plot in chaos by attributing Marduk's part to his great-grandfather, without making any attempt to iron out the resulting confusion." == Disproven theories ==