Royalty in heaven
Kingship in Heaven is the name of a theogonic myth used by modern science . Its origin lies in the Hurrian mythology , it was handed down in a Hittite translation, found in the royal archives of Ḫattuša (approx. 1300 BC). The myth of royalty in heaven is part of a group of several myths about the Hurrian grain god Kumarbi .
The myth contains Sumerian , Mesopotamian , Syrian and Hurrian elements. The main features and motifs of the sequence of gods in the myth have a visible resemblance to Hesiod's theogony , especially in the emasculation of Uranus by Kronos and the (supposed) eating of the son.
Content of the myth
First of all, several primordial deities are invoked, they may listen. Then comes the real myth.
In the olden days Alalu was king in heaven and Anu was his cupbearer who sat at his feet. After nine years, Anu fought and drove the Alalu away. Alalu fled down to the dark earth. Then Anu was king in heaven and Kumarbi was his cupbearer. After nine years there was a fight in which Anu escaped from Kumarbi's handgrips and fled to heaven. But Kumarbi pulled the Anu down from the sky by the feet and bit off his genitals and Anu's sperm mixed in Kumarbi's stomach. But his triumph was tarnished by Anu's words:
- "Do not be happy about your insides! I have put a burden in your stomach: firstly I made you pregnant with the weighty weather god ( Teššup ); secondly I made you pregnant with Aranzaḫ (River Tigris ), the irresistible; thirdly, I made you pregnant with the weighty god Tašmišu . "
Kumarbi spat the sperm on Mount Kanzura and went to Nippur . The text now becomes sketchy , but it is believed that what was spat out was the Tigris River (hurr. Aranzaḫ). The weather god Teššup was talking to Anu while he was still in Kumarbi's belly, and he told him where he could step out of Kumarbi's body at the end of the pregnancy. The rest of it shows that the earth is also getting pregnant - probably from the sperm spewed out - and gives birth to two children. Kumarbi also goes to Ea because he wants to devour his son, but receives spoiled food. A wizard named "The Poor" is brought in to initiate Teššup's birth.
After the birth of the weather god, Anu allies himself with him and his brothers. But Kumarbi fathered several children, including the rock demon Ullikummi , to secure his rule. These fights are known as "Song of Ullikummi", the myth of the serpent demon Ḫedammu and the myth of the silver demon Ušḫuni .
literature
- Volkert Haas : History of the Hittite Religion (Handbook of Oriental Studies I / XV) . Brill: Leiden, New York, Cologne 1994, ISBN 90-04-09799-6 .
- C. Scott Littleton 1969, Levi-Strauss and the "Kingship in Heaven": A structural analysis of a widespread Theogonic Theme. Journal of the Folklore Institute 6/1, 70-84.
See also
Web links
- Comparison of ancient oriental creation myths (.doc, English)
- Hittite and Hurrian mythology (Memento on archive.org)