Aštabi
Aštabi | |
---|---|
war god | |
Attar |
Aštabi (
Name and origin
The attested writings of the name are Aštabi (in Alalakh and Hattusa), Aštabil/Ašdabil (in Ebla and Mari), aštb and possibly `ṭtpl and `ṭtpr (alphabetic spellings from Ugarit).[2]
Aštabi is regarded as one of the so-called "Syrian substrate deities" by researchers. While present in the Hurrian pantheon and in earlier documents from Ebla, names of members of this group are assumed to have pre-Hurrian and most likely pre-Semitic origin.[3]
Initially Hurrian origin had been ascribed to Aštabi by researchers[4] based on the similarity of his name to those of Kumarbi and Nabarbi, but this is no longer regarded as plausible due to the existence of earlier forms ending with -bil rather than -bi.[5] While a Semitic origin of the name has also been proposed, with a reconstructed hypothetical original form Yaštabi-El ("El has satisfied himself"), it is regarded as implausible due to reliance on assigning presently unattested sign values to Eblaite spellings of the name.[5]
Functions
In the Hurrian (and by extension Hittite) pantheon Aštabi was a war god.[6] This aspect of his character is also well attested in Ugaritic texts.[5] However, despite a considerable number of mentions in known documents, his original role in the pantheon of Ebla cannot be presently determined. The available information does not point at the warlike character known from later sources, as unlike Adad he did not receive weapons as offerings,[7] though Alfonso Archi does not consider it fully implausible that theoretically he could have been a war god in the third millennium BCE already.[8]
Worship
The worship of Aštabi is well attested in documents from Ebla, and it was widespread in the area under the control of the city, with the names of at least three cult centers of this god appearing in records: Ba-šeki, Du-ubki (later Tuba), and Ìr-kuki.[7] However, it is Ebla itself which was the primary site associated with him.[8]
One Eblaite document mentions statues of Aštabi and Baradu-madu.[9] Both of them are also involved in a purification ceremony meant to return the health of the prince Ir'aq-Damu.[10]
According to Alfonso Archi, after the fall of Ebla Aštabi was among the gods who did not retain their former position in the religion of the
In
Associations with other deities
In 3rd millennium BCE Ebla he was sometimes associated with dBa-ra-du ma-du,[14] possibly to be read /BarD-u(m)/,[10] who was possibly his spouse.[8] She is sparsely attested in known texts, but Alfonso Archi notes this stands true for spouses of other gods as well, Barama associated with Kura and Halabadu (Hebat) associated with Adad.[10] While her character is uncertain, it is possible she was a divine representation of a river flowing near the city of Ebla, possibly Queiq.[8]
In Hurrian sources he sometimes formed a triad with Ugur (who in this context appears under the epithet "Šaumatar") and Nupatik, according to Volkert Haas based on their shared association with warfare.[15] The character of Nupatik is generally regarded as uncertain,[16] though Haas is not the only author to ascribe the role of a warrior god to him, and especially the fact he received items related to archery as offerings is considered to be possible evidence supporting this theory.[17]
In god lists Aštabi was equated with a variety of other deities of similar characters. An
According to Meindert Dijkstra, in Hittite sources he was sometimes equated with Tašmišu, older brother and sukkal of Teshub.[19] However, both appear in the procession of deities in Yazilikaya.[13]
Alfonso Archi considers it possible that
A number of ritual texts from Ugarit feature both Attar and a god bearing the name 'ṭtpl or 'ṭtpr, commonly identified as Aštabi by researchers.[5] It has been proposed that their origin is not necessarily Hurrian, but rather Semitic, and that they are responsible for the equation of these two deities in god lists.[2]
Mythology
Aštabi appears in only one Hurro-Hittite myth, the so-called Song of
References
- ^ Archi 2013, p. 15.
- ^ a b Archi 1997, pp. 416–417.
- ^ Archi 2013, pp. 15–16.
- ^ Wilhelm 1989, p. 55.
- ^ a b c d e f g Archi 1997, p. 417.
- ^ Taracha 2009, p. 95.
- ^ a b Archi 1997, p. 416.
- ^ a b c d Archi 1997, p. 419.
- ^ Archi 1997, pp. 414–415.
- ^ a b c Archi 1997, p. 415.
- ^ Archi 1997, pp. 417–418.
- ^ Archi 1997, p. 418.
- ^ a b c Archi 2013, p. 10.
- ^ Archi 1997, p. 414.
- ^ Haas 2015, p. 377.
- ^ Wilhelm 1989, p. 53.
- ^ Marchesi & Marchetti 2019, p. 530.
- ^ Ayali-Darshan 2014, p. 98.
- ^ Dijkstra 2011, p. 78.
- ^ Archi 2013, p. 8.
- ^ a b Ayali-Darshan 2014, p. 96.
- ^ Ayali-Darshan 2014, pp. 96–98.
Bibliography
- Archi, Alfonso (1997). "Studies in the Ebla Pantheon II". Orientalia. 66 (4). GBPress - Gregorian Biblical Press: 414–425. JSTOR 43078145. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- 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. OCLC 882106763.
- Ayali-Darshan, Noga (2014). "The Role of Aštabi in the Song of Ullikummi and the Eastern Mediterranean "Failed God" Stories". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 73 (1). University of Chicago Press: 95–103. ISSN 0022-2968.
- Dijkstra, Meindert (2011). "Ishtar seduces the Sea-serpent. A New Join in the Epic of Hedammu (KUB 36, 56+95) and its meaning for the battle between Baal and Yam in Ugaritic Tradition". Ugarit-Forschungen. Band 43. Münster: Ugarit Verlag. OCLC 1101929531.
- Haas, Volkert (2015). 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 2022-03-11.
- Marchesi, Gianni; Marchetti, Nicolò (2019). "The Deities of Karkemish in the Middle Bronze Age according to Glyptic and Textual Evidence". Pearls of the past: studies on Near Eastern art and archaeology in honour of Frances Pinnock. Münster: Zaphon. OCLC 1099837791.
- Taracha, Piotr (2009). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3447058858.
- Wilhelm, Gernot (1989). The Hurrians. Warminster, England: Aris & Phillips. OCLC 21036268.