Do Bulgakov’s Hella (Gella), Azazello, Behemoth, and Abadonna Have Ancient Near Eastern Origins?
Do Bulgakov’s Hella (Gella), Azazello, Behemoth, and Abadonna Have Ancient Near Eastern Origins?

Summary/Abstract: This paper focuses on the issue of the possible Ancient Near Eastern origins of famous Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov’s demonic characters, such as the vampire Hella (Gella), the cat-human Behemoth, and the demons Azazello and Abadonna from the novel The Master and Margarita. The nature of the members of Woland’s court have been analysed in several works; however, their roots are usually considered to go back to biblical times and context. Our aim is to try to shed some light on their possibly more ancient origins, since it is a well-known fact that Bulgakov was deeply interested in the Ancient Near East and used several of its elements in his novel. Therefore, in order to establish any potential Ancient Near Eastern impact on the essence of those characters, we need to look into Akkadian and Sumerian mythology and Mesopotamian religious texts (e.g., incantations).

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