This species of vampire was first mentioned in the Mesopotamian epic, Gilgamesh. The utukku was created when a person died before he could fulfill an obligation, causing his soul to become bound to his corpse, creating a REVENANT. Usually found in deserted places in the desert and mountains and along the ocean’s shore, it kills by making direct eye contact with a person, absorbing his life-energy (see ENERGY VAMPIRE). As time passed, this ancient species of vampire became thought of more as a demon.

Source: Rogers, Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, 147-148; Sayce, Religions of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia, 283-287; Thompson, Semitic Magic, 39-40; Wiggermann, Mesopotamian Protective Spirits, 113-114