Lecture Outline: Illuyanka Myths and The Kumarbi Cycle I. Hittitesa) Indo-European people• European people that expanded all the way to India b) entered Anatolia (from northeast?) c. 2300 BCEc) Hattians = indigenous pre-Hittite people• Disappeared from history (absorbed by the Hittite people)d) Hittite Empire = 1700-1200 BCE• At it’s height = 1700-1200 BCE• Late Bronze Age• Collapses after this time period, the city of Ugarit is destroyede) Hurrians• Indo-European – there language is closely related to Indian Sanskrit • In-between Anatolia and Mesopotamia 1. people in northern Syria2. empire named Mitanni II. Hittite Mythologya) Hittite capital = Hattusas1. cuneiform tablets2. many mythological/religiousb) over 600 gods1. polytheism and syncretism • Resisted syncretism for a long time and just kept adding on gods2. Hattians• Adopted gods from3. Hurrians• Adopted gods from4. Mesopotamians• Hurrians adopted gods from the Mesopotamians – Hittites from the Hurriansc) chief god1. Storm God2. name unknown3. identified with a. Hattian Storm God• Name we do not knowb. Hurrian Tessub (storm god) III. Illuyanka Mythsa) adopted from Hattians• We do not know if the Hitties adapted the Hattian myths or kept them the sameb) texts = c. 1700-1500 BCEc) Storm God vs. serpentd) Illuyanka = Hattian (or Hittite?) for “serpent”• “Serpent” myths – usually see a storm god battling a serpent, dragon, ect. IV. Illuyanka Myth: Version 1a) assoc. with Purulli festival (in spring)b) Storm God defeated by Illuyanka c) summons godsd) Inara1. daughter of Storm God2. huntress?3. prepares feaste) mortal man, Hupasiya1. helps• prepare the feast for a price2. but asks to sleep w/Inaraf) Illuyanka1. summoned to feast• comes, even though he just defeated the storm god2. drunk• whole purpose of the feastg) tied up by Hupasiya; killed by Storm Godh) triumph of Storm God = return of spring? V. Illuyanka Myth: Version 2a) Illuyanka1. defeats Storm God2. takes Storm God’s heart and eyes• weakened, blindb) Storm God1. marries woman• a mortal woman2. has son3. son marries Illuyanka’s daughterc) Storm God to son: heart, eyes• get my heart and eyes backd) battles Illuyanka1. beside/at sea• ancient idea that connects serpents to the sea• he is not the sea, but is at the sea = serpent?2. son to Storm God: Don’t spare me!e) kills Illuyanka, son• “First the serpent defeated [the Storm God] […] So the Storm God killed (both) the serpent and his own son”• We are not told why the son is willing to die so the Storm God can kill IlluyankaVI. Kumarbi Cyclea) group of poems about Kumarbib) Hurrian literary works, but written in Hittite • Hittites adopted them, we don’t know how much is changed c) texts = c. 1400-1200 BCE VII. Song of Kumarbia) succession myth (= rise and fall of Kumarbi) b) Kumarbi = Hurrian god assoc. with underworld• Does not rule the underworld, but has connections to itc) succession:1. Alalu = king of gods (father of Kumarbi)2. Anu • Overthrows Alalu • Alalu goes to the underworld3. Kumarbi• Overthrows Anu• Anu goes up to the sky, but before Anu can get away Kumarbi castrates himd) castration of Anu1. Kumarbi swallows genitals• Bites them off • Emasculates him• Cannot reproduce2. pregnant with gods• Because Kumarbi swallows Anu’s genitals 3. incl. Tessube) Ea1. serves as advisor/midwife to king Kumarbi2. Kumarbi thinks Tessub already born• He wants to eat him3. bites into stone• Ea gives Kumarbi a stone instead of Tessub• Kumarbi eats the stone and hurts his teeth• “He began to speak to Ea: […] Kumarbi began to weep”4. tricked by Ea?• We do not know why Ea gives Kumarbi a stonef) Tessub1. born from “good place”• Euphemism for penis 2. overthrows Kumarbi (fragmentary)• We assume this because in all later poems Tessub is king of the gods g) alternation between1. underworld gods (Alalu, Kumarbi)2. sky gods (Anu, Tessub)• Alternation of sons overthrowing their fathers VIII. Song of Ullikummia) Kumarbi tries to overthrow Tessubb) wants to use child to storm heaven• Kumarbi wants to birth a son so tall he can rain heaven over Tessubc) impregnates rock• Kumarbi is very associated with rocks; bites into oned) “stone child” = named Ullikummie) Ullikummi placed on Ubelurri’s sholder• Kumarbi wants a safe place to keep Ullikummi 1. Ubelurri = sky supporter• Has earth and sky built on top of him and literally holds him up2. cf. Atlasf) Istanu (sun god)1. spots Ullikummi growing• Rapidly • Sun god, up in the sky, sees everything• Was below the sea bed with Ubelurri, now has popped up above the sea2. tells Tessub• He is growing so quickly he is going to storm heaven g) Ea1. advisor to king Tessub2. goes to Ubelurri• Figures out where Ullikummi is growing from• “Ea spoke to Ubelluri […] You are unaware of this swiftly rising god?”• ***”When they built heaven and earth upon me […] I don’t know who this god is” Ubelluri to Ea. Ullikummi is so humongous that he is making Ubelluri’s shoulder hurt. When the earth was built on Ubelluri it did not bother him. 3. cuts off Ullikummi with cutting tool• Copper cutting tool used to cut Ullikummi off of Ubelurri’s shoulder, it makes him vulnerableh) Tessub battles Ullikummi (fragmentary)• Texts cuts off here, we do not know what happens, we assume Tessub wins• Ullikummi is still connected to the sea because he grows there • Idea that the storm god battles a monster from the
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