Taru (god)

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Taru
Hattian weather god
Major cult center Nerik, Zippalanda
Weaponmace
Animalsbull
Symbollightning
Equivalents
Hittite equivalent Tarḫunna
Luwian equivalent Tarḫunz
Palaic equivalent Ziparwa

Taru was a weather god worshiped in ancient Anatolia by Hattians. He was associated with the bull, and could be depicted in the form of this animal. It is presumed that the names of the Hittite and Luwian weather gods, Tarḫunna and Tarḫunz, while etymologically Indo-European, were meant to resemble Taru's as a result of Hattian cultural influence on other cultures of the region.

Contents

Name and character

Taru was the Hattian weather god. [1] The term "Hattian" refers to the native inhabitants of the northern part of ancient Anatolia. [2] As a weather god, he was believed to control phenomena such as thunder and lightning; additionally he was responsible for the well-being of people and animals, and for the growth of plants. [3] A hymn dedicated to him, awan kaitgaḫillu d Taru elli lipḫaippin, most likely focuses on guaranteeing the flourishing of grain (kait). [4]

In cuneiform Taru's name was written as dTa-a-ru, dDa-a-ru or sporadically dŠa-a-ru . [5] It could also be represented with the sumerograms dIŠKUR and d10, same as the names of other weather gods. [6] It has been proposed that Taru's name might mean "bull" in Hattic. [3] A connection between it and the Greek word taurus, [7] and more broadly with terms referring to bulls in various Indo-European and Semitic languages, has also been proposed, but the matter remains unresolved. [6] It is nonetheless assumed that Taru can be characterized as a bull god. [4] He could be depicted in theriomorphic form as this animal. [6] Bulls not accompanied by any other figures on seals from Kanesh might represent him. [8] In addition to his symbolic animal, his attributes were a mace and lightning. [3]

Relations to other Anatolian weather gods

According to Piotr Taracha  [ de ], it can be assumed that the theonym Taru referred to multiple individual weather deities worshiped in various locations. [9] Volkert Haas identified the Weather god of Nerik, the head of the local pantheon of Nerik in Hittite times, as Taru. [10] It has also been suggested that the names Wašezzili (likely to be identified as the Weather god of Zippalanda) and Ziparwa referred to local forms of Taru. [11] Furthermore, the deity Tahaštaru, whose name according to Carlo Corti can be interpreted as combination of Taru and a prefix also attested in a number of other northern Anatolian theonyms (Tahašail, Tahattenuit, Tahawašezzu, Tahpillanu) was the weather god of Dahattaruna. [12] Theophoric names invoking Taru have also been identified in texts from Kanesh, [1] but there is no indication in known sources that Hattian culture had influence on the local pantheon. [13] There is evidence that a weather god did belong to it, [14] though Guido Kryszat assumes he might have been Tarḫunna or less plausibly Nipas. [15]

Taru, Tarḫunna and Tarḫunz

It is assumed that the early Hittites "were impressed by Hattic religious culture and attempted to imitate the kind of complex society that they encountered in central Anatolia". [16] Daniel Schwemer states that the scope of this process makes it impossible to study either the Hattian or Hititte weather god on his own, without considering the other. [17] While the names of both Hittite (Tarḫunna) and Luwian (Tarḫunz) weather gods are derived from an Indo-European root, they are not cognate with the names of other weather gods in pantheons of speakers of languages from this group, and might have been formed specifically to resemble the name of Taru. [18] [19] Schwemer goes as far as suggesting both gods were effectively adaptations of Taru. [20] Gary Beckman more cautiously calls them "a melding of the Indo-European Sky-god with the Hattic weather god Taru". [21] Further derivatives of the Hittite and Luwian names include later deities such as Lycian Trqqas, who continued to appear as an element in theophoric names from Anatolia as late as in the Hellenistic period. [22]

The myth of Illuyanka, whose Hittite version (CTH 321) casts Tarḫunna as the protagonist, most likely goes back to an earlier Hattian tale, which presumably had Taru confront the monster instead. [23] Schwemer suggests that the epithet "storm god of heaven", which designated the primary manifestation of Tarḫunna in Hittite sources from the Old Hittite period onward, could be analogously applied to Taru as well. [24]

Eventually the use of the same logograms to refer to a large number of weather gods (Anatolian Taru, Tarḫunna and Tarḫunz, Hurrian Teshub, as well as Syro-Mesopotamian Adad/Hadad) in Hittite texts resulted in interchange of traits between them, leading to the creation of what Michael B. Hundley has described as a "constellation of deities with shared traits, who nonetheless often maintain their individual identities". [25]

Family

Similarly to Hittite Tarḫunna in later tradition, Taru was presumably paired with the Sun goddess of Arinna [26] and was regarded as the father of Telipinu, [27] Inara [23] and Mezulla. [28] The goddess Zintuḫi, whose name is seemingly derived from the Hattic word zintu, "grandchild", likely was regarded as the weather god's granddaughter in Hattian culture already. [29]

It is presumed that references to anonymous grandfather and father of the weather god in a myth about said deity going missing might reflect Taru's genealogical position in the Hattian pantheon. [30] However, it is not possible to identify his ancestors with any specific gods known by name. [31] In Nerik, the local weather god, possibly to be identified as Taru, was regarded as a son of Šulinkatte. [10] While a reference to a weather god being a son of a moon god (dU DUMU d30) is known from the text KUB 33.89, according to Jörg Klinger it most likely belongs to the Hurrian milieu and reflects a variant genealogy of Teshub, with Kušuḫ as his father in place of Kumarbi, and should not be treated as evidence that a similar connection existed between Taru and the Hattian moon god Kašku. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teshub</span> Hurrian weather god and king of the gods

Teshub was the Hurrian weather god, as well as the head of the Hurrian pantheon. The etymology of his name is uncertain, though it is agreed it can be classified as linguistically Hurrian. Both phonetic and logographic writings are attested. As a deity associated with the weather, Teshub could be portrayed both as destructive and protective. Individual weather phenomena, including winds, lightning, thunder and rain, could be described as his weapons. He was also believed to enable the growth of vegetation and create rivers and springs. His high position in Hurrian religion reflected the widespread importance of weather gods in northern Mesopotamia and nearby areas, where in contrast with the south agriculture relied primarily on rainfall rather than irrigation. It was believed that his authority extended to both mortal and other gods, both on earth and in heaven. However, the sea and the underworld were not under his control. Depictions of Teshub are rare, though it is agreed he was typically portrayed as an armed, bearded figure, sometimes holding a bundle of lightning. One such example is known from Yazılıkaya. In some cases, he was depicted driving in a chariot drawn by two sacred bulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ḫepat</span> Hurrian goddess

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 millennium BCE led 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.

Ḫašamili was a god worshiped in Bronze Age Anatolia. He originated in religious beliefs of the Hattians, and later came to be incorporated into the Hittite, Palaic and Luwian pantheons. He was regarded as a protective household deity, and was additionally associated with metalworking. He appears in the myth of Ḫaḫḫima, but his role in it is not fully understood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hittite mythology and religion</span>

Hittite mythology and Hittite religion were the religious beliefs and practices of the Hittites, who created an empire centered in what is now Turkey from c. 1600–1180 BC.

Ḫapantali, also known as Ḫapantaliya, was a Luwian goddess who functioned as a divine shepherd. She was also incorporated into Hattian and Hittite beliefs. She is first attested in the Old Assyrian period, and later continued to be worshiped until the fall of the Hittite Empire. She appears in a variety of texts, including descriptions of festivals, treaties, and myths. While in ritual texts she was often linked with Inar, in mythological context she instead could be designated as a helper of Kamrušepa or her husband Tiwad.

Ḫatepuna or Ḫatepinu was a Bronze Age Anatolian goddess of Hattian origin, also worshiped by Hittites and Kaška. She was regarded as the wife of Telipinu, and like him was likely an agricultural deity. In a different tradition, her husband was the male form of the grain deity Ḫalki. It is presumed that she can be identified with the anonymous "daughter of the sea" who appears in two Hittite myths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarḫunna</span>

Tarḫunna or Tarḫuna/i was the Hittite weather god. He was also referred to as the "Weather god of Heaven" or the "Lord of the Land of Hatti".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun goddess of Arinna</span> Chief goddess and wife of the weather god Tarḫunna in Hittite mythology

The Sun goddess of Arinna, also sometimes identified as Arinniti or as Wuru(n)šemu, is the chief Goddess of Hittite mythology. Her companion is the weather god Tarḫunna. She protected the Hittite kingdom and was called the "Queen of all lands." Her cult centre was the sacred city of Arinna.

The Sun goddess of the Earth was the Hittite goddess of the underworld. Her Hurrian equivalent was Allani and her Sumerian/Akkadian equivalent was Ereshkigal, both of which had a marked influence on the Hittite goddess from an early date. In the Neo-Hittite period, the Hattian underworld god, Lelwani was also syncretised with her.

Anna was the main deity of Kanesh, an Anatolian city which in the Old Assyrian period served as an Assyrian trading colony. Multiple possibilities regarding her origin have been considered by researchers. A temple, festivals and clergy dedicated to her are attested in texts from her city, and in contracts she appears alongside the Assyrian god Ashur. At some point her position declined, and an unidentified weather god became the main local deity instead. It is nonetheless assumed that she continued to be worshiped later on by Hittites and Luwians. It has also been proposed that a deity from Emar can be identified with her, though not all researchers share this view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allanzu</span> Hurrian goddess

Allanzu, later known under the name Alasuwa, was a Hurrian goddess regarded as a daughter of Ḫepat. She was described as a youthful deity and in known texts often appears in association with her mother and siblings. She was also worshiped by Hittites and Luwians.

Ziparwa, originally known as Zaparwa, was the head of the pantheon of the Palaians, inhabitants of a region of northern Anatolia known as Pala in the Bronze Age. It is often assumed that he was a weather god in origin, though he was also associated with vegetation. Information about the worship of Ziparwa comes exclusively from Hittite texts, though some of them indicate that formulas in Palaic were used during festivals dedicated to him held in Hittite cities such as Hattusa.

Ḫalki was the Hittite deity of grain. While it is commonly assumed the name consistently referred to a goddess, a male form of this deity has also been identified. Ḫalki was associated with other grain deities, namely Mesopotamian Nisaba and Hattian Kait, with the latter presumed to be functionally identical. The oldest attestations come from Kanesh, though they are limited to theophoric names. In later periods, the female form of Ḫalki was worshiped in Hattusa, and the male one in Nerik, though evidence from other cities is also available.

Tiyaz or Tiyad was the sun god of the Palaians, regarded as the third most important deity in their pantheon. He was also incorporated into Hittite religion. He appears in a ritual written in Palaic, though presumed to belong to a Hittite corpus, in which he is implored to anoint the king. After the fall of the Hittite Empire, he might have been worshiped by Phrygians.

Šulinkatte was a Hittite god of Hattian origin. He was regarded as a war deity. Additionally, he could fulfill the role of a protector of palaces and houses. In the local tradition of Nerik, he was regarded as the father of the weather god of Nerik. He first appears in texts dated to the fifteenth or fourteenth century BCE. His main cult center was the sparsely attested city Tamarmara, but he was also worshiped elsewhere in ancient Anatolia, for example in Hattusa and Nerik. Fragments of a Hattic song celebrating him are also known.

Iyaya was a Hittite and Luwian goddess. Her functions remain uncertain, though it has been suggested she was associated with water or more broadly with nature. She might have been associated with the god Šanta, though the available evidence is limited. Her main cult centers were Lapana and Tiura, though she was also worshiped in other cities.

Wurunkatte or Wurukatte was a Hittite war god of Hattian origin. He might have also been connected to the institution of kingship. His symbol was a mace, and based on textual sources it is presumed he could be depicted standing on the back of a lion. Inhe appears in association with deities such as Šulinkatte, Taru and Telipinu. He was worshiped in Hattusa, Nerik, Tuḫumijara and Tarammeka.

Nipas was a god worshiped in Kanesh. His name might have been derived from the Hittite word nepis, "heaven", and he might have been a weather god. While he was most likely one of the main deities of the city, and a temple, festival and clergy associated with him are attested, for unknown reasons he does not appear in any later sources.

Ammamma was the name of multiple Hattian and Hittite goddesses worshiped in central and northern Anatolia in the Bronze Age. The best attested Ammamma served as the tutelary goddess of Taḫurpa near Hattusa, and appears in multiple treaties between Hittite kings and foreign rulers.

Kammamma was a Hattian god worshiped by Hittites and Palaians. He belonged to the category of tutelary deities (DLAMMA) and might have been associated with vegetation. He attained a degree of importance in the Hittite state pantheon in the Old Hittite period, and in some cases he is listed in hierarchically arranged lists directly after Tarḫunna and the sun goddess of Arinna, the main Hittite deities.

References

  1. 1 2 Taracha 2009, p. 27.
  2. ↑ Taracha 2009, p. 34.
  3. 1 2 3 Klinger 1996, p. 147.
  4. 1 2 Haas 2015, p. 319.
  5. ↑ Schwemer 2016, p. 84.
  6. 1 2 3 Schwemer 2008, p. 18.
  7. ↑ Haas 2015, p. 322.
  8. ↑ Schwemer 2008, p. 34.
  9. ↑ Taracha 2009, p. 47.
  10. 1 2 Haas 2015, p. 597.
  11. ↑ Schwemer 2022, p. 372.
  12. ↑ Corti 2018, p. 43.
  13. ↑ Taracha 2009, p. 28.
  14. ↑ Kryszat 2006, pp. 106–107.
  15. ↑ Kryszat 2006, p. 113.
  16. ↑ Yakubovich 2022, p. 7.
  17. ↑ Schwemer 2008, p. 17.
  18. ↑ Hutter 2003, pp. 220–221.
  19. ↑ Schwemer 2008, pp. 18–19.
  20. ↑ Schwemer 2008, p. 19.
  21. ↑ Beckman 2005, p. 311.
  22. ↑ Hutter 2003, p. 221.
  23. 1 2 Schwemer 2001, p. 234.
  24. ↑ Schwemer 2008, p. 15.
  25. ↑ Hundley 2014, pp. 188–189.
  26. ↑ Schwemer 2008, p. 20.
  27. ↑ Schwemer 2008, p. 31.
  28. ↑ Klinger 1996, pp. 148–149.
  29. ↑ Klinger 1996, pp. 151–152.
  30. ↑ Klinger 1996, p. 148.
  31. ↑ Klinger 1996, p. 149.
  32. ↑ Klinger 1996, p. 154.

Bibliography

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