IŔtanu, the Sungoddess of Arinna
The Sungoddess of Arinna is the most important Hittite solar deity, and overall one of the most important deities in the Hittite pantheon. Originally, she was worshipped by the Hattians, the pre-Hittite people of central Anatolia (modern Turkey). Her cult centre was the town of Arinna, the ruins ofĀ which are yet to be discovered. As the Hittite kingdom developed, the Hittites incorporated her, along with many other Hattian deities, into their pantheon, and she kept a prominent place there until the collapse of Hittite civilisation in the early 12th century BC.
In Hittite texts, the Sungoddess is usually referred to by the logograms į“°UTU įµį“æįµTĆL-na, orĀ įµį“æįµTĆL-naÅ”Ā į“°UTU-uÅ”, meaningĀ āSungoddess of Arinnaā (Arinna itself meansĀ āsourceā orĀ āspringā). In Hittite, this would have been read as ArinnaÅ” IÅ”tanuÅ”. IÅ”tanu is a Hittitisation of the Hattian name EÅ”tan. Itās the most commonly used name for the Sungoddess, and is also the Hittite word for āsunā.
She is also referred to as Arinniti, Arunniti or Ariniddu, meaningĀ āthe Arinnianā in Hattian. Another name is Urunzimu, or WuruÅ”emu in later texts. The meaning of this word is unclear; it has variously been interpreted asĀ āÅ”emu of the landā,Ā āmother of the earthā or āqueen of the earthā.
Unlike other deities, the Sungoddess is hardly featured in mythology (or at least in the texts that have survived). Her parents are unknown. Her consort is the Stormgod Tarįø«unt (Hattian Taru), the other most important deity of the pantheon. They are known to have a son, Telepinu, a daughter, Mezzulla, and a granddaughter, Zintuįø«i.
The Sungoddess is heavily tied to royalty. A prayer by King įøŖattuÅ”ili III says that āwhoever you set up, Sungoddess of Arinna, my lady, as king or queen of the land of įøŖatti, they are right with you, Sungoddess of Arinna, my lady, and you are the one who lifts them up or abandons themā** (CTH 383 i 5-10).Ā Hittite kings called themselves by the titleĀ į“°UTU-Å I, orĀ āMy Sunā, and used a winged sun disc as part of their iconography.
Detail of the seal of King MurÅ”ili II, showing a winged sun disc. The Sungoddess of Arinna was also MurÅ”iliās personal deity.Ā (x)
While not a warrior deity per se, the Sungoddess is also responsible for military success. She was said to run in front of the king on the battlefield:Ā āthe Sungoddess of Arinna, my lady, the Powerful Stormgod, my lord, Mezzulla, and all the Gods ran before me.ā (CTH 61.I ii 3-4) King MurÅ”ili II and King Tudįø«aliya IV both prayed to her for victory against their enemies.
Due to her associations with kingship as well as influence from the Mesopotamian SungodĀ Å amaÅ” (see below), the Sungoddess is responsible for divine justice.Ā āYou are the lord of just justiceā, says a hymn to her (CTH 376.A i 35ā²). In particular, she is described as bringing justice to the most disfavoured and isolated people of society:Ā āIÅ”tanu, to the oppressed and lonely person you are both father and mother; for the bereaved and oppressed person you compensate grievances.ā (CTH 372 i 35-38)
Her mercy, or compassion (both are the same word in Hittite), is one of her most frequently mentioned attributes. To quote just a few passages:
IŔtanu, you are the shepherd of all, and your message is sweet to everyone. (CTH 372 i 61-63)
Since childhood, my Godās mercy, I recognise and acknowledge it. (CTH 373 obv. 10ā²)
Now, before my God, I call for mercy. My God, hear me! (CTH 373 rev. 22)
You listen to invocations. You, Sungoddess of Arinna, are a merciful deity, and you have mercy. (CTH 376.A i 38ā²-40ā²)
The person whom the Gods are angry with and whom they reject, you, Sungoddess of Arinna, have mercy on him. (CTH 376.A ii 1)
The Hittite word for mercy, genzu, is etymologically connected to genu,Ā ākneeā orĀ ālapā. Being merciful, then, means taking someone onto your lap. Notice how the Sungoddess is holding the child in the statuette above.
The Sungoddess is rarely depicted in cult statues. More often, sheās represented as a sun disc. Other imagery associated with her is lions (also a symbol of royalty) and the apple tree, which is mentioned in a brief mythological passage about her.
The Hittites called their landĀ āthe land of a thousand Godsā, due to their habit of adopting local deities and viewing them as separate from (though often overlapping with) other, similar deities. As a result, there isnāt just one Sungoddess but many. Most notably, the Sungoddess of the Earth is the Sungoddess of Arinnaās chthonic counterpart - the sun that travels to the Underworld during the night. The Sungoddess of the Earth is herself associated with Lelwani, an Underworld deity also linked to healing.
In the 13th century BC, the Sungoddess of Arinna was syncretised with įøŖebat, a Hurrian Goddess, thanks to the influence of Queen Puduįø«epa, who was herself Hurrian. Another Eastern deity closely related to the Sungoddess isĀ Å amaÅ”, or the Sungod of Heaven. She adopted many of his attributes, including justice, and various Mesopotamian hymns toĀ Å amaÅ” were adapted for the Sungoddess, to the point that itās often hard to determine which sun deity a text is referring to.
You may have noticed that some of the above quotes refer to the Sungoddess using male terms. In particular, CTH 376.A, while naming the Sungoddess of Arinna specifically, addresses her multiple times asĀ ālordā. One explanation for this is that the hymn was originally written to the Sungod of Heaven, and the scribe simply forgot to change the male terms to female ones.
However, it may also be that the Sungoddess, by absorbing some aspects of the Sungod of Heaven (and possibly also of an Indo-European sky deity), becomes male in certain contexts. She wouldnāt be the only Hittite deity to do so; IÅ”tar is also depicted as both male and female in Hittite iconography (as well as in Mesopotamia, where she was worshipped by a gender-non-conforming priesthood). To quote Trevor Bryce (Life and Society in the Hittite World, p. 143):Ā āā¦ the Hittites had no difficulty with the notion that deities who performed both male and female roles had both male and female sides to their persona, and it was appropriate to address and depict them as male or female according to the particular role in which they were engaged at the time.ā
First picture: my altar to the Sungoddess of Arinna. Second picture: a gold pendant likely depicting the Sungoddess, 14th-13th century BC (x).
**All translations are my own.
