Kumarbi
Encyclopedia : K : KU : KUM : Kumarbi
Kumarbi is the Hurrian god, son of Anu, and father of the Weather-God Teshub.
The Cycle of Kumarbi
The Kingship of Heaven
Kumarbi bit off the genitals of Anu and spat out three new gods. This is related in the Hittite myth Kingship in Heaven: Alalu was overthrown by Anu who was in turn overthrown by Kumarbi. When Anu tried to escape [Kumarbi|Ullikumi] bites off his genitals. Anu tells his son that he is now pregnant with the Teshub, Tigris and Tašmišu. Upon hearing this Kumarbi spit the semen upon the ground and it became impregnated with two children. Kumarbi becomes pregnant and is cut open to deliver Tešub. Together, Anu and Teshub depose Kumarbi1. In another version of the Kingship in Heaven, the three gods, Alalu, Anu and Kumarbi, rule heaven each serving the one who precedes him in the nine-year reign. It is Kumarbi's son Tešub, the Weather-God, who begins to conspire to overthrow his father2. Scholars have pointed out the similarities between the Hurrian creation myth and the story of Ouranos, Kronos, and Zeus from Greek mythology.
The Song of Ullikummi
References
- Leick, Gwendolyn. Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology. Routledge: 1998. pg. 106.
- Hopkins, David. Ed. Across the Anatolian Plateau: Readings in the Archaeology of Ancient Turkey. American Schools of Oriental Research: 2001. pg. 112.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.