Anamelech

Anamelech: An obscure demon, bearer of ill news.  He was worshipped at Sepharvaun, a town of the Assyrians.  He always reveals himself in the figure of a quail.  His name, we are told, signifies a "good king," and some authorities declare that this demon is the moon, as Adramelech is the sun. (b)

Anammelech (nm´lk) (KEY), in the Bible, god of an otherwise unknown Samaritan cult (e)

Adrammelech and Anammelech:

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary:
"152. Adrammelek ... an Assyrian idol; —Adrammelech."
"6048. Anammelek ... an Assyrian diety; —Anammelech."

2  Kings 17

22  For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they

          departed not from them;

23  Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants

          the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto

          this day.

24  And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from

         Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of

         Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and

         dwelt in the cities thereof.

25   And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the

         LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.

26   Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou

         hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the

        God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they

         slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

27  Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests

         whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him

         teach them the manner of the God of the land.

28  Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and

         dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29  Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the

         high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities

         wherein they dwelt.

30  And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made

         Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31  And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children

         in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. (j)
 

ANAMMELECH  By : J. Frederic McCurdy

A god worshiped by the Sepharvites in Samaria under the Assyrian régime, along with the god Adrammelech (II Kings, xvii. 31). Anu was the chief of the old Babylonian trinity, Anu, Bel, and Ea; and if Sepharvaim (compare ib. 24) is Sippara in North Babylonia (not Sepharvaim in Syria, II Kings, xix. 13), as is very probable, there is no difficulty in supposing that Anu was there worshiped under this appellation. It is stated, however, in the text, that children were burned in sacrifice to Anammelech in Samaria; and this is perhaps inconsistent with the fact that there is no evidence that such offerings were ever made in Babylonia.

Bibliography: Schröder, Phönizische Sprache, 1869, pp. 124-127;
De Vogué, Mélanges d'Archéologie Orientale, 1868;
George Smith, Assyrian Discoveries, London and New York, 1875, p. 399;
Schrader, Cuneiform Inscriptions and the O. T. i. 276;
Rawlinson, Herodotus, i. 611.J. (k)

Anamelech, "affliction or response of the king," was a god of Sepharvaim.  Succot Benoth, "the tents or tabernacles of the daughters," was a divinity of the Babylonians. (w)

(b) Taken verbatim from "Encyclopaedia of Occultism" by Lewis Spence. ©1959

(e) The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2001 Columbia University Press.

(j) http://www.topical-bible-studies.org/default.htm

(k) http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/index.jsp

(w)  "Witches, Devils, and Doctors in the Renaissance.  Johann Weyer, De praestigiis daemonum" General Editor: George Mora, M.D.  Translated by:  John Shea.  Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies.  Binghamton, New York.  ©1991  Original text written in 1583.

***I made photocopies of portions of this text but neglected to photocopy the footnotes.  If I can find another copy of the book I will add the footnotes.*****