05 Hittite and Hurrian deities: part3
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This article is from the Hittite/Hurrian Mythology FAQ, by Christopher B. Siren cbsiren@hopper.unh.edu with numerous contributions by others.
05 Hittite and Hurrian deities: part3
Suwaliyattas - a warrior god and probably the brother of the Storm-god.
(Hurrian Hebat, Hepit, Hepatu) - The matronly wife of the Storm-god.
She is sometimes found standing on her sacred animal, the lion. After
the Storm-god and Astabis' failed attacks on Ullikummis, the giant
forced her out of her temple, causing her to lose communication with the
gods. She frets that Ullikummis may have defeated her husband and
expresses her concern to her servant Takitis, charging him to convene
the assembly of the gods and bring back word of her husband. Presumably
she is brought word of his defeat. Tasmisus visits her in the high
watchtower, telling her that the Storm-god is consigned to a 'lowly
place' for a length of time. She is the mother of Sharruma.
Wurusemu, (Wuruntemu?), 'Sun Goddess of Arrina', 'mistress of the
Hatti lands, the queen of heaven and earth', 'mistress of the kings and
queens of Hatti, directing the government of the King and Queen of
Hatti' - this goddess is later assimilated with Hebat. She made the
cedar land. She is the primary goddess in Arrina, with Taru as her
consort. She is a goddess of battle and is associated with Hittite
military victory. She is the mother of the Storm-god of Nerik, and
thereby possibly associated with Ereshkigal. She aids in returning him
from the underworld.
(Hurrian Sharruma), 'the calf of Teshub' - The son of Teshub and
Hebat, this god is symbolized by a pair of human legs. He is later
identified with the Weather-god of Nerik and Zippalanda.
Takitis - Hebat's servant. After Hebat was driven from her temple
he is told of her concern for her husband and charged with convening the
assembly of the gods and returning with word of her husband's fate.
Mezzullas - daughter of the Storm-god and the Sun-goddess of Arinna.
She has influence with her parents.
Zintuhis - granddaughter of the Storm-god and the Sun-goddess of
Arinna.
Telepinu(s), Telipinu (Hattic) 'the noble god' - an agricultural god,
he is the favorite and firstborn son of the Storm-god. He 'harrows and
plows. He irrigates the fields and makes the crops grow.' (Gurney p.
113) He flies into a rage and storms off, loosing
himself in the steppe and becoming overcome with fatigue. With his
departure, fertility of the land, crops and herds disappears and famine
besets man and god. Hannahannas' bee finds him, stings his hands and
feet, and wipes his eyes and feet with wax, purifying him. This further
infuriates him, and he wrecks further havoc with the rivers and by
shattering houses and windows. Eventually, the evil and malice is
removed through magic by Kamrusepas, but not before Telepinus thunders
with lightning. Telepinus returns home, restoring
fertility and tending to the life and vitality of the royal family. His
prosperity and fertility is symbolized by a pole suspending the fleece
of a sheep. In other versions of this myth, the Storm-god or the Sun-
god
and several other gods are missing instead.
He is asked by his father to recover the Sun-god from the Sea-god,
and so intimidates the Sea-god that he is given his daughter as a bride.
Ullikummi(s), the diorite man - born of Kumarbis and the Rock. This
god is made entirely of diorite. He was born to be used as a weapon to
defeat the Storm-god and his allies. Kumarbis had him delivered to the
Irsirra deities to keep him hidden from the Storm-god, the Sun-god, and
Ishtar. After the Irsirra deities presented him to Ellil, they placed
him on the shoulder of Upelluri where he grows an acre in a month.
After fifteen days he grows enough so that he stands waist deep in
the sea when the Sun-god and he notice each other. Alerted by the
Sun-god, the Storm-god eventually prepares for battle atop Mount Imgarra,
yet their first battle results in an incomplete victory. He drives
Hebat from her temple, cutting off her communication with the other
gods. Astabis leads seventy gods on attack against him, attempting to
draw up the water from around him, perhaps in order to stop his growth.
They fall into the sea and he grows to be 9000 leagues tall and around,
shaking the heavens, the earth, pushing up the sky, and towering over
Kummiya. Ea locates him and cuts off his feet with the copper knife
that separated the heaven from the earth. Despite his wounds he boasts
to the Storm-god that he will take the kingship of heaven. Presumably,
he is none-the-less defeated.
Sun-god (of Heaven) - Probably an Akkadian import, this god one of
justice and is sometimes the king of all gods. An ally and sometimes
son of the Storm-god, he notices the giant Ullikummis in the sea and
visited the Storm-god, refusing to eat until he reports his news. After he
has done so, the Storm-god proclaims that the food on the table shall
become pleasant, which it does, and so the Sun-god enjoys his meal and
returns to his route in heaven.
When Telepinus disappears, bringing a famine, he arranges a feast
for the Thousand Gods, but it is ineffective in assuaging their hunger.
At the Storm-god's complaint, he dispatches an eagle to search for the
god, but the bird is unsuccessful. After the bee discovers Telepinus, he
has man perform a ritual. In another version of the missing god myth, he
is one of the missing gods. He keeps several sheep. At the end of the
day, he travels through the nether-world.
He was kidnapped by the Sea-god and released when Telipinu came for
him.
In a longer version of that story, the Sea-god caught him in a net,
possibly putting him into a Kukubu-vessel when he fell. During his
absence, Hahhimas (Frost) took hold.
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