Aštabi

Aštabi (in Ugarit : aṯtb ) was a Hurrian god who did not play a prominent role. He is mentioned in kaluti sacrificial lists and is also depicted in the Hittite rock shrine of Yazılıkaya .

Aštabi was originally a Syrian god who lived as early as the 24th century BC. In Ebla under the name Aštabil. The Hurrians who immigrated to Syria adopted this god. With the Hurritization of the Hittite imperial pantheon, the god also came to the Hittites.

Aštabi is called in the Ullikummi myth. The gods commissioned him to fight the constantly growing stone demon Ullikummi and equipped him with a chariot. With clap of thunder he drove to the sea. However, he was unsuccessful in battle and fell into the sea with 70 gods. Since the myth is only partially preserved at this point, the further circumstances are unknown, but the appearance of the 70 gods in the plot refers to a Syrian background.

In the lists of victims, Aštabi is named between the sun god Šimige and Nubadig . He also seems to be more closely connected with the goddess Šuwala. His equation with the Mesopotamian Ninurta shows that he was a chthonic god with combative features.

literature

• Volkert Haas : History of the Hittite religion (= Handbook of Oriental Studies . Volume 1.15). Brill, Leiden 1994, ISBN 978-9-004-09799-5 .