Pirwa

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Pirwa was a Hittite horse god, with the epithet parḫant- "galloping". He shows warlike features and puts fear in the heart.

Circle of gods from Kanis

Pirwa belongs to the circle of Kaniš deities . In a vineyard ritual he was called together with Aškašepa ("Torgenius"), while in a fragmented myth he is the Paredros of the goddess Ḫaššuššara ("Queen") and is named together with Ilali . Pirwa and Ḫaššuššara also form a couple in sacrificial rituals and together receive goat sacrifices, among other things.

Pirwa, Aškašepa and Ilali are already attested as deities in the ancient Assyrian karum of Kaniš ( Kültepe ; 18th century BC). Pirwa (Peruwa) had its own priest, and his name was also used as a man's name according to Anatolian custom. Ḫašušar is also attested as a personal name, so that this group of gods can be ascribed to an old age. Other deities belonging to this group of gods are Maliya and Ḫašammeli , who are also documented in personal names from Kültepe.

Adoration

Pirwa was described in Hittite statuette descriptions as a man standing on a horse with a whip in his right rein and a whip in his left. Later on, Pirwa could be replaced by the Mesopotamian goddess Ištar , who can also appear in male form. The left of the Hittites and Hurrians revered Star Goddess Pirinkir , a manifestation of Ishtar was closely associated with horses.

Pirwa was banned in the cities of Karaḫna and Sippa , among others, and had a temple in Wiyanawanta . He also had a rock sanctuary in the mountains with country estates, where horses, mountain goats and sheep grazed.

people

Several men bore the name Pirwa or Peruwa. The best-known of them is Peruwa, probably the son of the first Hittite great king Anitta in the 18th century BC. From the Hittite period the scribe Pirwa is known, who wrote myths. In his seals he wrote his name with the Luwian hieroglyphics DEUS.EQUUS ("God Horse").

literature