Tašmišu (Tashmishu) was a Hurrian god. He was regarded as a brother of Teshub, and it is assumed he had a warlike character.
Character
Volkert Haas proposed that Tašmišu's name was derived from the Hurrian word tašmi, which he translates as strong.[1] The suffix -šu is also known from the name of one Teshub's bulls, Šerišu, and various Hurrian personal names, such as Anniwašu or Ekammešu.[1]
Tašmišu was one of the multiple warrior gods in the Hurrian pantheon.[2] Other such deities were Ugur, Aštabi, Nergal and Ḫešui.[2]
In myths, his position appears to be that of a subordinate of his brother Teshub, and in one passage from the Song of Ullikummi he outright addresses him as "my lord."[3] He served as his sukkal (attendant deity), though as noted by Daniel Schwemer this role in ritual texts could also be attributed to the god Tenu.[4] He proposed that the latter was adopted from the religious tradition of ancient Aleppo,[4] where a month was named after him.[5] However, Alfonso Archi ascribes Hurrian origin to Tenu.[6]
Associations with other deities
Tašmišu was regarded as the "pure brother" of Teshub.[7] Their sister was the goddess Šauška.[8] Their parents were Anu and Kumarbi.[9] Tašmišu's wife was the goddess Nabarbi.[10]
Hittites identified Tašmišu with their god Šuwaliyat,[7] who had old Anatolian (Hattian) origin.[5] However, Tašmišu never acquired the latter's association with vegetation.[11] Both of them could be associated with Mesopotamian Ninurta.[5] As a result, instances where Tašmišu's name is written logographically as dNIN.URTA are known.[12] Another attested logographic writing is dURAŠ.[13] Furthermore, a god list from Emar identifies him with Papsukkal.[14]
Worship
In Hurrian offering lists, Tašmišu usually follows Teshub.[15] Worship of him is best attested from the Hurrian kingdom of Kizzuwatna, where he appears in various festivals related to Teshub of Šapinuwa.[11] He is also attested among the gods worshiped in Lawazantiya.[16]
In Emar, both Tašmišu and Tenu were worshiped as members of the entourage of Teshub.[17]
Mythology
The first myth of the so-called "Kumarbi cycle" describes the birth of Tašmišu. Like his brother, he was born after Kumarbi bit off the genitals of Anu.[18]
In the Song of Ullikummi, Tašmišu joins his siblings Teshub and Šauška when they go to see eponymous stone giant after being warned by the sun god Šimige.[19] Later he reveals Teshub's fate after the initial confrontation with the monster to his wife Hebat.[20] He also suggests to his brother that to find a way to defeat the new adversary they need to meet with the god Ea in his dwelling, Abzu, in the Hurrian myth assumed to be a city rather than a body of water.[21] After Ea agrees to listen to them, Tašmišu shows his gratitude.[21]
References
- ^ a b Haas 2015, p. 309.
- ^ a b Haas 2015, p. 363.
- ^ Schwemer 2001, p. 448.
- ^ a b Schwemer 2008, p. 6.
- ^ a b c Haas 2015, p. 332.
- ^ Archi 2013, p. 21.
- ^ a b Archi 2013, p. 10.
- ^ Trémouille 2011, p. 101.
- ^ Trémouille 2013, p. 475.
- ^ Taracha 2009, p. 121.
- ^ a b Trémouille 2013, p. 476.
- ^ Schwemer 2001, p. 499.
- ^ Schwemer 2001, p. 500.
- ^ Schwemer 2001, p. 553.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 473.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 581.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 569.
- ^ Bachvarova 2013, p. 154.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 90.
- ^ Bachvarova 2013, p. 175.
- ^ a b Bachvarova 2013, p. 176.
Bibliography
- Archi, Alfonso (2013). "The West Hurrian Pantheon and Its Background". In Collins, B. J.; Michalowski, P. (eds.). Beyond Hatti: a tribute to Gary Beckman. Atlanta: Lockwood Press. ISBN 978-1-937040-11-6. OCLC 882106763.
- Bachvarova, Mary R. (2013). "The Hurro-Hittite Kumarbi Cycle". Gods, heroes, and monsters: a sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern myths. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-064481-9. OCLC 967417697.
- Haas, Volkert (2015) [1994]. Geschichte der hethitischen Religion. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East (in German). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-29394-6. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- Schwemer, Daniel (2001). Die Wettergottgestalten Mesopotamiens und Nordsyriens im Zeitalter der Keilschriftkulturen: Materialien und Studien nach den schriftlichen Quellen (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-04456-1. OCLC 48145544.
- Schwemer, Daniel (2008). "The Storm-Gods of the Ancient Near East: Summary, Synthesis, Recent Studies: Part II" (PDF). Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions. Brill. 8 (1): 1–44. doi:10.1163/156921208786182428. ISSN 1569-2116.
- Taracha, Piotr (2009). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3447058858.
- Trémouille, Marie-Claude (2011), "Šauška, Šawuška A. Philologisch", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in French), retrieved 2022-04-10
- Trémouille, Marie-Claude (2013), "Tašmišu", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in French), retrieved 2022-04-10
This page was last edited on 10 December 2022, at 09:04