Nabarbi | |
---|---|
Goddess of pastures | |
Major cult center | Taite |
Personal information | |
Spouse | Tašmišu |
Equivalents | |
Mesopotamian equivalent | possibly Belet Nagar |
Nabarbi or Nawarni [1] was a Hurrian goddess possibly associated with pastures. She was one of the major deities in Hurrian religion, and was chiefly worshiped in the proximity of the river Khabur, especially in Taite. It has been proposed that she was associated with the goddess Belet Nagar, linked to the Upper Mesopotamian city of Nagar. In addition to being venerated in Hurrian religion, she was also incorporated into the beliefs of the Hittites and into the local pantheon of Emar. She also continued to be worshiped in Taite in the Neo-Assyrian period, as attested in a text from the reign of Ashurbanipal, where she is one of the deities invoked to bless the king.
Attested spellings of the theonym Nabarbi in cuneiform include d na-bar-bi (widespread in Hittite texts), dna-a-bar-bi, dna-a-bar-wi, dnaa-wa-ar-wee, dna-bar-WA [2] and dna-wa-ar-ni. [1] Alfonso Archi interprets it as "she of Nawar", with the toponym derived from Hurrian naw, "pasture". [3] Volkert Haas directly translates it as "she of the pasture", [2] and suggests she might have been associated with cattle pastures. [4] She also played a role in ritual purification, as indicated by the itkalzi rituals. [5]
Piotr Taracha argues that Nabarbi was identical with the “lady of Nagar” attested in Mesopotamian sources from the Ur III period, with Nagar and Nawar being two spellings of the same toponym, [6] and counts her among deities who were received by Hurrians from preexisting Syrian pantheons, [7]
Alfonso Archi does not accept equating Nagar and Nawar, but states it is possible Nabarbi was identified both with the “lady of Nagar” and with Ḫabūrītum, a goddess associated with the river Khabur similarly known from Mesopotamian sources from the Ur III period. [3] He also points out the tutelary goddess of Nagar appears alongside Hurrian deities in the inscriptions of Hurrian king Tish-atal of Urkesh. [8]
In early scholarship the view that Nabar might be an uncommon spelling of the toponym Nippur was also present, which lead to the proposal that Nabarbi was instead related to Ninnibru, [2] "Lady of Nippur", a name used to refer to the wife of Ninurta in the Ur III and Isin-Larsa periods. [9]
It has been pointed out that Nabarbi's name is structurally similar to that of Kumarbi, "he of Kumar". [10] [3] The structure of these two names has been used as an argument in favor of restoring the name ḫrḫb from the Ugaritic myth Marriage of Nikkal and Yarikh , written in the local alphabetic script, as Ḫiriḫibi, "he of the mountain Ḫiriḫ(i)," [11] [lower-alpha 1] On the same basis it has been argued that the god Aštabi had Hurrian origin. [14] However, subsequent research has shown that the original spelling of his name was Aštabil, and that he was already worshiped in Ebla before the arrival of Hurrians in Syria. [15] [lower-alpha 2]
Tašmišu was regarded as the husband of Nabarbi, [6] as was Šuwaliyat, [17] his Hittite counterpart. [18] Volkert Haas argues that the pairing of Nabarbi and Šuwaliyat was based on their shared connection with vegetation. [19] However, Tašmišu had no connection to vegetation. [20]
In the kaluti (offering lists) dedicated to the circle of deities associated with Ḫepat Nabarbi occurs after Šauška's servants Ninatta and Kulitta, and before Shuwala [7] and the dyad Uršui-Iškalli. [2] A connection between her and Shuwala, who was the tutelary goddess of Mardaman, is well attested. [21] It has been proposed that it relied on the accidental similarity between the names of Shuwala and Šuwaliyat. [17] However, it is also possible that it indicates both of these goddesses originated in the proximity of the river Khabur. [2] Worship of pairs of goddesses (for example Ishara and Allani, Hutena and Hutellura, Ninatta and Kulitta) as dyads was a common feature of Hurrian religion. [22] In some cases, Nabarbi and Shuwala could be grouped with Ayu-Ikalti, [23] the Hurrian form of the Mesopotamian goddess Aya, the bride of Shamash. [18]
An association between Nabarbi and Šauška is also attested. [24] In some itkalzi ("purification") rituals they appear alongside the pairs Hutena and Hutellura, Ea and Damkina, and Ḫepat and Mušuni. [24] One of such texts refers to "water of Šauška and Nabarbi", believed to have purifying qualities. [2]
Alfonso Archi considers Nabarbi one of the "principal deities" of the Hurrian pantheon. [3] Based on her placement in texts such as international treaties, it is assumed she was chiefly worshiped in the proximity of the river Khabur. [2] Her cult center was Taite, a city located in this area. [6] She appears as one of the divine witnesses in the treaty between Shattiwaza of Mitanni and Šuppiluliuma I of the Hittite Empire, in the proximity of figures such as Samanminuḫi, hypostases of Teshub associated with cities such as Washukanni and Irridu, Partaḫi of Šuda, Šuruḫḫi, Shala, Bēlat-ekalli, Damkina, Ishara and others. [25] It is presumed that the selection of deities in this text was politically motivated, with their cult centers being located roughly in the core of the Mitanni state. [26]
From the Middle Hittite period onward Nabarbi was also worshiped by the Hittites in Hattusa, where she occurs among other Hurrian goddesses in offering lists dedicated to the entourages of Ḫepat and Šauška. [2] She is one of the Hurrian deities depicted in the Yazılıkaya sanctuary, with the relief 51 which represents her placed after Allatu (Allani) and Ishara and before Shalash. [27] The identification is directly confirmed by an accompanying hieroglyphic Luwian inscription. [28] The site is located close to Hattusa, and the pantheon depicted on its walls reflects Hurrian traditions from Kizzuwatna adopted by the Hittite royal family. [29]
Nabarbi is also attested in documents from Emar. [2] [1] It is assumed she was received from the Hurrian milieu, but the circumstances of the incorporation of her and other foreign deities, such as Mesopotamian Sebitti, into the local pantheon are poorly understood. [30] [lower-alpha 3] She occurs in a list of deities who received offerings during the local zukru festival as the 140th entry, after the weather god (dIŠKUR) of Bašima’a and before Baliḫ, a pair of eponymous gods representing the Balikh River. [32] John Thracy Thames classifies her as a member of what he deems the "third tier" of deities celebrated in this context, [33] a designation he uses for the members of the local pantheon who received the least sacrificial animals (2 sheep per deity, in contrast with 5 sheep for "second tier" and 10 sheep and 5 calves for "first tier") and other offerings during it. [34] However, it is unlikely that these ranks necessarily reflected the position of individual deities in Emariote religion outside of the context of the zukru. [35] In contrast with figures such as Dagan, dNIN.KUR, Ishara or Saggar Nabarbi only occurs once in the preserved texts pertaining to this festival. [36] She is also absent from theophoric names, and there is no indication that a temple dedicated to her existed in the city. [37]
Nabarbi continued to be worshiped in Taite in the Neo-Assyrian period. [38] In a Tākultu ritual, she appears alongside two other originally Hurrian deities, Kumarbi and Samanuha. [2] These texts were focused on invoking deities both from central cities of Assyria, such as Assur and Nineveh, and from its periphery to bless the king, with the oldest examples dating to the reign of Shamshi-Adad I; the version Nabarbi is attested in has been dated to the reign of Ashurbanipal. [39]
Šarruma, also romanized as Šarrumma or Sharruma, was a Hurrian god. He could be depicted in both anthropomorphic form, sometimes riding on the back of a leopard, and in the theriomorphic form as a bull. His character is not fully understood, though it is known that he could function as a mountain god. He was regarded as a son of Ḫepat and Teshub. He was also linked to various moon deities. Additionally, the only mythological text he appears in addresses him as a messenger (sukkalu) of Kumarbi. He was worshiped by Hurrians in southeastern Anatolia and northern Syria, for example in Kummanni and Lawazantiya in Kizzuwatna. From this kingdom he was introduced to the Hittite pantheon as well. Hittite influence in turn resulted in his introduction to cities such as Aleppo, Emar and Ugarit. He was also venerated in Luwian religion in the first millennium BCE, with theophoric names invoking him attested from as late as the Hellenistic period in Cilicia and Lycia.
Ḫepat was a goddess associated with Aleppo, originally worshiped in the north of modern Syria in the third millennium BCE. Her name is often presumed to be either a feminine nisba referring to her connection to this city, or alternatively a derivative of the root ḫbb, "to love". Her best attested role is that of the spouse of various weather gods. She was already associated with Adad in Ebla and Aleppo in the third millennium BCE, and in later times they are attested as a couple in cities such as Alalakh and Emar. In Hurrian religion she instead came to be linked with Teshub, which in the first millenium BCE lead to the development of a tradition in which she was the spouse of his Luwian counterpart Tarḫunz. Associations between her and numerous other deities are described in Hurrian ritual texts, where she heads her own kaluti, a type of offering lists dedicated to the circle of a specific deity. She commonly appears in them alongside her children, Šarruma, Allanzu and Kunzišalli. Her divine attendant was the goddess Takitu. In Hittite sources, she could sometimes be recognized as the counterpart of the Sun goddess of Arinna, though their respective roles were distinct and most likely this theological conception only had limited recognition. In Ugarit the local goddess Pidray could be considered analogous to her instead.
Kušuḫ, also known under the name Umbu, was the god of the moon in Hurrian pantheon. He is attested in cuneiform texts from many sites, from Hattusa in modern Turkey, through Ugarit, Alalakh, Mari and other locations in Syria, to Nuzi, located near modern Kirkuk in Iraq, but known sources do not indicate that he was associated with a single city. His name might be derived from the toponym Kuzina, possibly the Hurrian name of Harran, a city in Upper Mesopotamia, but both this etymology and identification of this sparsely attested place name remain uncertain. He was a popular, commonly worshiped god, and many theophoric names invoking him are known. In addition to serving as a divine representation of the moon, he was also associated with oaths, oracles and pregnancy. Some aspects of his character were likely influenced by his Mesopotamian counterpart Sin, while he in turn was an influence on the Ugaritic god Yarikh and Luwian Arma.
Pinikir, also known as Pinigir, Pirengir and Parakaras, was an Ancient Near Eastern astral goddess who originates in Elamite religious beliefs. While she is only infrequently attested in Elamite documents, she achieved a degree of prominence in Hurrian religion. Due to her presence in pantheons of many parts of the Ancient Near East, from Anatolia to Iran, modern researchers refer to her as a "cosmopolitan deity."
Ishara (Išḫara) was a goddess originally worshiped in Ebla and other nearby settlements in the north of modern Syria in the third millennium BCE. The origin of her name is disputed, and due to lack of evidence supporting Hurrian or Semitic etymologies it is sometimes assumed it might have originated in a linguistic substrate. In Ebla, she was considered the tutelary goddess of the royal family. An association between her and the city is preserved in a number of later sources from other sites as well. She was also associated with love, and in that role is attested further east in Mesopotamia as well. Multiple sources consider her the goddess of the insitution of marriage, though she could be connected to erotic love as well, as evidenced by incantations. She was also linked to oaths and divination. She was associated with reptiles, especially mythical bašmu and ḫulmiẓẓu, and later on with scorpions as well, though it is not certain how this connection initially developed. In Mesopotamian art from the Kassite and Middle Babylonian periods she was only ever represented through her scorpion symbol rather than in anthropomorphic form. She was usually considered to be an unmarried and childless goddess, and she was associated with various deities in different time periods and locations. In Ebla, the middle Euphrates area and Mesopotamia she was closely connected with Ishtar due to their similar character, though they were not necessarily regarded as identical. In the Ur III period, Mesopotamians associated her with Dagan due to both of them being imported to Ur from the west. She was also linked to Ninkarrak. In Hurrian tradition she developed an association with Allani.
Šauška (Shaushka), also called Šauša or Šawuška, was the highest ranked goddess in the Hurrian pantheon. She was associated with love and war, as well as with incantations and by extension with healing. While she was usually referred to as a goddess and with feminine titles, such as allai, references to masculine Šauška are also known. The Hurrians associated her with Nineveh, but she was also worshiped in many other centers associated with this culture, from Anatolian cities in Kizzuwatna, through Alalakh and Ugarit in Syria, to Nuzi and Ulamme in northeastern Mesopotamia. She was also worshiped in southern Mesopotamia, where she was introduced alongside a number of other foreign deities in the Ur III period. In this area, she came to be associated with Ishtar. At a later point in time, growing Hurrian influence on Hittite culture resulted in the adoption of Šauška into the Hittite state pantheon.
Allani, also known under the Akkadian name Allatu was the Hurrian goddess of the underworld. She was also associated with the determination of fate. She was closely linked with Ishara, and they could be invoked or receive offerings together. She also developed connection with other underworld deities from neighboring cultures, such as Mesopotamian Ereshkigal, Anatolian Sun goddess of the Earth and Lelwani, and possibly Ugaritic Arsay. It is presumed she was chiefly worshiped in western areas inhabited by the Hurrians, though the location of her main cult center is uncertain. She is attested in texts from sites such as Tigunani, Tuttul and Ugarit. She was also incorporated into the Mesopotamian pantheon, and was venerated in Ur, Nippur and Sippar. Hittite sources mentioning her are known too.
Šuwaliyat was a Hittite god associated with vegetation. He was worshiped in Kanesh, Ḫupišna and Ḫunḫuišna, as well as in Hattusa. In a number of ritual texts he appears alongside the grain goddess Ḫalki. A close connection between him and the Hurrian god Tašmišu is also attested, and in Hittite adaptations of Hurrian myths and in other texts reflecting Hurrian influence his name could be used to designate his Hurrian counterpart.
The Hurrian religion was the polytheistic religion of the Hurrians, a Bronze Age people of the Near East who chiefly inhabited the north of the Fertile Crescent. While the oldest evidence goes back to the third millennium BCE, it is best attested in cuneiform sources from the second millennium BCE written not only in the Hurrian language, but also Akkadian, Hittite and Ugaritic. It was shaped by the contacts between Hurrians and various cultures they coexisted with. As a result, the Hurrian pantheon included both natively Hurrian deities and those of foreign origin, adopted from Mesopotamian, Syrian, Anatolian and Elamite beliefs. The culture of the Hurrians were not entirely homogeneous, and different local religious traditions are documented in sources from Hurrian kingdoms such as Arrapha, Kizzuwatna and Mitanni, as well as from cities with sizeable Hurrian populations, such as Ugarit and Alalakh.
Šimige was the Hurrian sun god. Known sources do not associate him with any specific location, but he is attested in documents from various settlements inhabited by the Hurrians, from Kizzuwatnean cities in modern Turkey, through Ugarit, Alalakh and Mari in Syria, to Nuzi, in antiquity a part of the kingdom of Arrapha in northeastern Iraq. His character was to a large degree based on his Mesopotamian counterpart Shamash, though they were not identical. Šimige was in turn an influence on the Hittite Sun god of Heaven and Luwian Tiwaz.
Belet Nagar was the tutelary goddess of the ancient Syrian city Nagar. She was also worshiped by the Hurrians and in Mesopotamia. She was connected with kingship, but much about her role in the religions of the ancient Near East remains uncertain.
Adamma was a goddess worshiped in Ebla in the third millennium BCE, later also documented in Hurrian sources and in Emar. The origin and meaning of her name remain a matter of debate among researchers. It is commonly assumed that it originated in one of the Semitic languages and that it can be compared to Hebrew ʾădāmâ, "soil" or "earth". An alternate view is that it belongs to a linguistic substrate at some point spoken in part of modern Syria. Hurrian origin has been proposed as well, but is considered implausible. In Ebla, Adamma received sacrificial sheep on behalf of the royal palace. She also had clergy of her own, as evidenced by references to a dam-dingir priestess in her service. Eblaite texts indicate she was also venerated in Hadani and Tunip. She was locally regarded as the spouse of Resheph, though the connection between them is not attested in later sources. After the fall of Ebla, she was incorporated into Hurrian religion, and in this context appears in Hittite and Ugaritic sources as well, often forming a pair with Kubaba. Furthermore, she was worshiped in Emar, where under the name Adammatera she might have been perceived as a deity associated with storage areas and the underworld. It is also possible that the goddess Admu known from Mari and from the Mesopotamian god list An = Anum was the same deity.
Shuwala (Šuwala) was a Hurrian goddess who was regarded as the tutelary deity of Mardaman, a Hurrian city in the north of modern Iraq. She was also worshiped in other Hurrian centers, such as Nuzi and Alalakh, as well as in Ur in Mesopotamia, Hattusa in the Hittite Empire and in the Syrian cities Emar and Ugarit.
Ugur was a Mesopotamian god associated with war and death, originally regarded as an attendant deity (sukkal) of Nergal. After the Old Babylonian period he was replaced in this role by Ishum, and in the Middle Babylonian period his name started to function as a logogram representing Nergal. Temples dedicated to him existed in Isin and Girsu. He was also worshiped outside Mesopotamia by Hurrians and Hittites. He might also be attested in sources from Emar.
Tašmišu (Tashmishu) was a Hurrian god. He was regarded as a brother of Teshub, and it is assumed he had a warlike character.
Ḫešui, also known as Ḫišue, was a Hurrian war god. He was also incorporated into the Hittite pantheon. He is sparsely attested in known sources, and his origin and the meaning of his name remain unknown.
Ḫabūrītum (dḫa-bu-ri-tum) was a goddess of the river Khabur worshiped in ancient Syria. She was incorporated into the Mesopotamian pantheon in the Ur III period. Her original cult center was most likely Sikani, which in the early third millennium was located in an area ruled by Hurrians. Not much is known about her character. In Mesopotamian texts she appears chiefly in association with other deities worshiped in Syria, such as Dagan and Ishara.
Uršui or Uršue was a Hurrian goddess. Her name might be derived from the toponym Uršu. It is not certain if the also attested name Uršui-Iškalli should be interpreted as Uršui's name being used as an epithet, as her name accompanied by epithet, or as a pair of goddesses. In Hurrian offering lists, appears as a member of the circle of either Ḫepat or Šauška.
Hurrian primeval deities were regarded as an early generation of gods in Hurrian mythology. A variety of Hurrian, Hittite and Akkadian labels could be used to refer to them. They were believed to inhabit the underworld, where they were seemingly confined by Teshub. Individual texts contain a variety of different listings of primeval deities, with as many as thirty names known, though many are very sparasely attested. Some among them were received from Mesopotamia, but others might have names originating in Hurrian or a linguistic substrate. No specific cult centers of the primeval deities have been identified, and they were not worshiped by all Hurrian communities. They were also incorporated into Hittite religion, presumably either from Kizzuwatna or Syria. Offers were made to them in sacrificial pits, examples of which have been identified in Urkesh and Hattusa. The primeval deities also appear in a number of Hurrian myths, including multiple sections of the Kumarbi Cycle and the Song of Release.