Hittites

During the second millennium B.C. a group of people known as the Hittites, who spoke an Indo-European language, ruled over the 'Land of Hatti', on peninsula which on which is now Turkey. They ruled from the city of Hattusas near the modern Boghazkoy in northern central Turkey at 1900 B.C. Much of the Cappadocian plateau was under their control through kingdoms before 1800 B.C. and they enjoyed a thriving trade with the Assyrians. Around 1800 B.C. Anittas and his father Pitkhanas of Kussara destroyed several Hittite cities, including Hattusas.The king Labarnas and his greatly expanded region of Hittite control was crossing the Taurus mountains and waging war on Syria and Assyria(about 1680 B.C.). King Mursilis (1620-1590 B.C.), Labarnas' grandson by adoption, brought down the Old Kingdom of Babylon - Hamurabi's dynasty. In 1525 B.C., Telepinus, last king of the Old Kingdom took control and sacrificed some of the Western districts and all of the territory east of the Taurus mountains in favour of a more easily managed kingdom.

The Hurrians occupied the land between the Hittites and Assyria, having descended from the mountains south of the Caspian Sea. They ruled the kingdom of Mitanni. In the late 15th century B.C. the Hittite empire's beginning is marked by a lot of Hurrian names into the royal family. Tudhalyas I (1420 B.C.) reunited Western Anatolia under Hittite rule, and retook Allepo but lost the Black Sea coast to the Kaska tribes. After some difficulty with the Mittani the Hittites raised under King Suppilulimas around 1344-1322 taking a hold on Syria. With Egypt, they dominated the lands of Canaan and the Levant during the 1200's. While Hittite culture continued through about 700 B.C., the Empire was splitted into several kingdoms and pressures such as the growing Assyrian Empire helped keep it from uniting again.

The Hittites were a patriarchal, highly agricultural society. They had rich iron deposits which they mined and traded with the Assyrians. They also used it for weapons and were rather successful in the use of a three-man chariot.Babylonian and Hurrian gods were worshiped along-side or assimilated with the native Hittite deities. This merging of cultures and free use of foreign languages was rather fortuitous. Parallel Hittite and Akkadian treaties and similar texts helped in cracking the Hittite hieroglyphic code.

What Deities did they worship?
The Hittites had an big number of local cult deities.As the government became more centralized, particularly during the imperial period around 1400 - 1200 B.C., there were efforts to equate many of these local deities and form a state pantheon. Such a pantheon was headed by the Weather-god/Storm-god, who also represented the mountains, and his wife - usually the earth goddess, who was also attached to the waters of rivers and the sea. The Hittites themselves write of the thousand gods of Hatti, and more than eight-hundred names have been discovered. The associated myths have both Hittite and Hurrian content, with the origin of many suspected to be Hurrian. The Kumarbis-Ullukummis myth is chief among the Hurrian tales and the Illuyankas stories and missing god myths of Telipinus and the missing Storm-god are thought to be more Hattic. There also exist fragments of a Hittite version of the Gilgamesh epic and many Akkadian deities were worshiped outright. Of course the Hatti left their mark in Hittite religion as well.

GODS:
Alalus
He was the king in heaven in olden days and Anus was the first among the gods. Anus served as his cupbearer for 9 years before defeating him and dispatching him to under the earth.

Anus
While Alalus was king in heaven, Anus was more powerful. He served as Alalus' cup bearer for nine years and then defeated him, dispatching him to under the earth. He took his seat on the throne and had Kumarbis as his cupbearer. Also, after nine years Kumarbis rebelled, chased Anus. Anus then hid himself in heaven. He advised the Storm-god on the places where he might exit Kumarbis. After the Storm-god's birth, they plotted to destroy Kumarbis and with his other children succeeded.

Kumarbis
'the father of all gods' according to the Hurrians. He is sometimes equated with Enlil and Dagan. His city is Urkis. He thinks wise thoughts and carries a staff. He served as Anus's cup-bearer for nine years and then rebelled. The Storm-god asks Ayas to give him his son to devour, which he does.

Imbaluris- He is Kumarbis' messenger. He is sent to warn the Sea that Kumarbis' must remain the father of the gods.

Mukisanus- He is Kumarbis' vizier
Hannahannas
the mother of all the gods. She is associated with Gulses. After Telepinu disappears, the Storm-god complains to her. She sends him to search himself and when he gives up, she dispatches a bee, charging it to purify the god by stinging his hands and feat and wiping his eyes and feet with wax. She recommends to the Storm-god that he pay the Sea-god the bride-price for the Sea-god's daughter on her wedding to Telipinu. Apparently she also disappears in a fit of anger and while she is gone, cattle and sheep are stifled and mothers, both human and animal take no account of their children. After her anger is banished to the Dark Earth, she returns rejoicing. Another meeans of banishing her anger is through burning brushwood and allowing the vapor to enter her body.

Upelluri (Ubelluris)
Similar to Atlas, this giant carries the world on his shoulders. The olden gods built the earth and heaven upon him though he did not notice, even when those two were separated with a cleaver. On the direction of Kumarbis' messenger Imbaluris, the Issira deities place Ullikummis on his right shoulder where the child grows. Ea interviews him, in search of Ullikummis and Upelluri admits to a small pain on his shoulder, although he can't identify which god is causing it.

Storm/Weather-god
'The Conqueror', 'The king of Kummiya', 'King of Heaven’, ‘Lord of the land of Hatti'.

-He is chief among the gods and his symbol is the bull. As Teshub he has been pictured as a bearded man between two mountains and bearing a club. He is a god of battle and victory, especially when the battle is with a foreign power. As Taru, he is the consort of Wurusemu. He was the child of Anus and Kumarbis. He is, however, considered Ea's son in the myth of Ullikummis. He sent rain after the fallen Moon-god/Kashku when he fell from heaven.

Seris (Serisu)
This is one of the bulls sacred to the Storm-god. In preparation for battle, the Storm-god has Tasmisus anoint his horns with oil and drive him up Mount Imgarra with Tella and the battle wagon.

Tella (Hurris)
This is another bull sacred to the Storm-god. In preparation for battle, the Storm-god has Tasmisus plate his tail with gold and drive him up Mount Imgarra with Seris and the battle wagon.

Aranzahas
The Tigris river deified. A child of Anus and Kumarbis, he was the brother of the Storm-god and Tasmisus, spat out of Kumarbis' mouth onto Mount Kanzuras. Later he colludes with Anus and the Storm-god to destroy Kumarbis.

Tasmisus
A child of Anus and Kumarbis, he is conceived along with the Storm-god and Aranzahus. The brother of the Storm-god and Aranzahus, he was spat out of Kumarbis upon Mount Kanzuras. He spies the Sun-god approaching and informs the Storm-god that this visit bodes ill. At the Storm-god's command he has a meal set up for their visitor. After the Sun-god's tale, he and the Storm-god depart and are met by Ishtar, who takes them to Mt. Hazzi near Ugarit, where they can see Ullikummis. The Storm-god has him take his bulls up Mt. Imgarra and prepare them for battle. He is also ordered to bring forth the storms, rains, winds, and lightning. After their defeat, he is dispatched by the Storm-god to Hebat, to tell her that he must remain in a 'lowly place' for a term. He returns and encourages the Storm-god to seek Ea in the city Abzu/Apsu and ask for the 'tablets with the words of fate'.

Hebat (Hurrian name) (Hepit, Hepatu)- The wife of the Storm-god. She is sometimes depicted standing on her sacred animal, the lion. After the Storm-god and Astabis' failed attacks on Ullikummis, the giant forced her out of her temple, causing her to lose communication with the gods. She frets that Ullikummis may have defeated her husband and expresses her concern to her servant Takitis, charging him to convene the assembly of the gods and bring back word of her husband. Presumably she is brought word of his defeat. Tasmisus visits her in the high watchtower, telling her that the Storm-god is consigned to a 'lowly place' for a length of time. She is the mother of Sharruma.

DEMONS:
Various rituals were performed to call upon demons for protection or to drive away baneful deities summoned by sorcerers.

Alauwaimis -Properly propitiated with ritual, libation, and goat sacrifice, this demon drives away evil sickness.

Tarpatassis - Properly propitiated with ritual and the sacrifice of a buck, this demon staves off sickness and grants long, healthy life.

Mortals
Hupasiyas-He is a resident of Zigurrat. He is recruited by Inaras to aid in defeating Illuyankas. He agrees to her plan after elliciting her promise to sleep with him. When Illuyankas and his children are gorged on Inaras's feast, he ties them up for the Storm-god to kill. he is set up in a house by Inaras with the instructions not to look out the window while she is away, lest he see his family. He does, and begs to go home. Here the text is broken and some researches assume that he is killed.


STRUCTURES
The olden gods built heaven and earth upon Upelluri. They had a copper knife which they used to cleave the heaven from the earth, after which they stored it in ancient storehouses and sealed them up - only to open them and retrieve it for use on Ullikummis.

Kuntarra house -The house of the gods in heaven. The Dark Earth- It has an entrance with gates. It holds bronze or iron palhi-vessels with lead lids. That which enters them, perishes within and doesn't return. Telipinu and Hannahanna's anger is banished there.