Kurunta (deity)

Depiction of the god standing on a deer, on the rock relief at Karasu

Kurunta is a Hittite god who is believed to be of Luwian origin. He is one of the protective deities.

Surname

The name Kurunta is derived from the Proto-Indo- European word * kerh ₁ with the translation horn , from which Cernunnos is also derived. The relationship between Kurunta and the Luwian god Runtiya is unclear . Some of the researchers assume the identity of the two gods and consider * Kruntiya to be the older Luwian name form, which was adopted by the Hittites as Kurunta. According to others, the Hittite Kurunta and the Luwian Runtiya evolved from a Uranatolian deity.

In cuneiform it is also known under the sumerogram ^DINGIR LAMMA or, whereby other deities could also be designated with it.

Tasks and presentation

Kurunta was the god of wildlife and hunting. He is also the patron god of the hallway. In particular, under the in Hittite used texts sumerogram ^DINGIR LAMMA Lil or ^DINGIR gimraš LAMMA "patron god of the corridor," which is often equated with the name Kurunta, he is considered the "patron god of the field."

The insignia of Kurunta was the stag . He was therefore represented as a man standing on a stag. The representation as a hunter or a deer was also possible. Kurunta is also known as the deer god because he is written with the hieroglyphic symbol for deer.

Under the name variant "Rundas" he is named as the " Hittite god of hunting and luck ", with a double-headed eagle as an emblem, "who hits a hare with his fangs".

Companions

The goddess Ala was considered to be the companion of Kurunta.

In mythology

According to Hurrian-Hittite myth, he became king of the gods after he had overthrown Tarḫunna from heaven. The rebellious God causes people to turn away from the gods, and he himself disregards the great gods. Since the gods continue to demand their sacrifices but do not get them, Ea and Kumarbi ally against Kurunta. Supported by Nara-Napšara, the underworld brother of Ea, they let loose the entire animal world and the mountain god Našalma on Kurunta. He is then killed by Tar vonuna and Ninurta , whereupon he accepts Tarḫuna's rule. Kurunta takes part in the assembly of the gods after Telipinus returns.

See also

• Innara
• Runtiya

literature

• Volkert Haas : The Hittite literature. de Gruyter, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-11-018877-5 , pp. 84, 111, 144 ff.
• Volkert Haas, Heidemarie Koch : Religions of the ancient Orient: Hittites and Iran. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-525-51695-9 .
• Piotr Taracha : Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2009, ISBN 978-3-447-05885-8 .
• John David Hawkins : Kubaba at Karkamiš and elsewhere. In: Anatolian Studies . 31, 1981, pp. 147-176.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Watkins 1999: pp. 15-20, Luwian Kuruntas and Celtic Cernunnos: Two Closely Related Manifestations of the Same Indo-European God
2. ↑ Volkert Haas, Heidemarie Koch: Religions of the ancient Orient: Hittites and Iran. Göttingen 2011, p. 225.
3. ^ ^{A b} Piotr Taracha: Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Wiesbaden 2009, p. 111.
4. ^ Wolfgang Fauth: Gnomon. 46, 1974, p. 689.
5. ^ Piotr Taracha: Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Wiesbaden 2009, p. 112.
6. ↑ Volkert Haas, Heidemarie Koch: Religions of the ancient Orient: Hittites and Iran. Göttingen 2011, p. 237.
7. ↑ Volkert Haas, Heidemarie Koch: Religions of the ancient Orient: Hittites and Iran. Göttingen 2011, p. 191.
8. ↑ JD Bing: Alexander's Sacrifice dis praesidibus loci before the Battle of Issus. In: Journal of Hellenic Studies. 111, 1991, p. 163.
9. ↑ Margarete Riemschneider: The world of the Hittites. 1954, quoted from Manfred Lurker : Lexicon of Gods and Demons. Names, functions, symbols / attributes (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 463). 2nd, expanded edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-520-46302-4 , p. 350.
10. ↑ Volkert Haas: The Hittite literature. Berlin 2006, pp. 84, 111, 144 ff.