AŠIPU. — The A. (“conjurer, exorcist”) is one of the major priests of the Babylonian-Assyrian religion. He is charged, by means of magical acts, with removing from a person the wrath and vengeance of a god or demon. Thus the A. is the servant of the god Ea, who, through incantations, was victorious over the gods Apsu and Mummu.
The A. originated in the city of Eridu, the city of the god Ea. The priest performed the incantations (Sum. en.tu; Akkad. šiptu), by means of which he could drive away illnesses, impurities, and sins, to which, according to the superstitious belief of the Babylonians, all diseases and misfortunes were attributed. It was therefore natural that the exorcist should be a highly authoritative person and come into contact with all classes of society. The A. was also consulted in cases of extraordinary events.