The angel (human with birds' wings, see winged genie) the mermaid (part human part fish, see Enki, Atargatis, Apkallu) and the Shedu all trace their origins to Assyro-Babylonian art.
Verski zgodovinar Mircea Eliade je opazil, da so prepričanja o identiteti živali in preobrazbe v živali razširjena.