In Sumerian mythology, the utukku were a type of spirit or demon that could be either benevolent or evil. In Akkadian mythology, they were referred to as utukki, were seven evil demons who were the offspring of Anu and Antu.
The evil utukku were called Edimmu or Ekimmu; the good utukku were called shedu. One of the best known of the evil Utukku is Alû.
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The proper Sumerian form of the name is UDUG; Utukku is the Akkadian form.[1] It is common to change /D/ to /t/ and /G/ to /k/ in converting Sumerian into Akkadian. The final /-u/ is the Akkadian nominative case-ending.
The canon of exorcism of the evil UDUG is known as UDUG HUL, the Akkadian expansion of which (known in Akkadian as Utukkū Lemnūtu) is in sixteen tablets.[2][3]
They were siblings of the Anunnaki. They were in the service of the underworld, and were required to fetch home the fruit of the sacrifices and burnt offerings, which generally consisted of the blood, liver, and other "sweetmeats" of the sacrificed animal.
Utuk'ku is the name given to the wicked queen of the Norns in Tad Williams' fantasy trilogy Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.
Utukku appear in Dungeons & Dragons in "Creature Catalog", Dragon #89 (September 1984). It is an outsider from Tartarus that looks like a lion-like humanoid with a quilled mane and a scaly body. They sometimes come to the Prime Material Plane to spread misery and evil and to gather treasure.
Utukku makes an appearance in the video game Final Fantasy XI as a ghost/wraith-class monster.
There are Utukku djinn in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud.