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Hittite Online

Lesson 8

Sara E. Kimball, Winfred P. Lehmann, and Jonathan Slocum

Unlike the speakers of the other Indo-European languages, the Hittites have many prayers among their literary products. These probably resulted from influence by their Semitic neighbors. From the book of Daniel, Chapter 6, we know that the Hebrews prayed three times a day, but lengthy prayers like those of the Hittites are not recorded in the Old Testament. For the most part the Psalms, if considered to be prayers, are general hymns of praise. Nor are they as lengthy nor as specifically directed at problems as those of the Hittites.

The plague prayers of Mursilis II, circa 1321-1295, are highly specific, as the sections from one included here illustrate. The other selection details the effects of the plague without indicating a possible reason for it. As here, the prayer is read to the god by a scribe sent by the king.

Reading and Textual Analysis

This prayer is highly structured. In the first section included here, the purpose of the prayer is stated, that being to remove the plague that has affected the kingdom since the days of Mursilis's father, Suppiluliumas I. Mursilis then absolves himself of the blame, and seeks the reason for it. An oracle tells him of two tablets, the second of which is summarized in the second section included here. While the source of the plague might seem to us to be the prisoners brought back after the war with the Egyptians, Mursilis finds from a further oracle as the source that the Hattians broke their word, which they had given in a treaty made under oath to the Hattian Storm-god. Mursilis then indicates the steps he has taken to appease the Storm-god. He has presented him and also other gods with offerings, while confessing that humans are sinful, as was his father, though he himself has committed no sin. Becoming poetic he points out that a bird takes refuge in its nest, and the nest then saves its life. Similarly, if a servant repents and appeals to his lord, the lord will not punish him. Mursilis has now confessed the sin of his father. But if that is not the reason for people dying, he makes a final request to the Storm-god that he inform him in a dream, or an oracle, or through a prophet, ending with the request that the Storm-god save his life and let the plague abate.

DIM URUHa-at-ti BE-LÍ-YA Ù DINGIRMEŠ URUHa-at-ti BE-LUMEŠ-YA u-i-ya-at-mu MMu-ur-si-li-is su-um-me-e-el ARAD-KU-NU

i-it-wa A-NA DIM URUHa-at-ti BE-LÍ-YA Ù A-NA DINGIRMEŠ BE-LUMEŠ-YA ki-is-sa-an me-mi

ki-i-ma ku-it i-ya-at-ten

nu-wa-kan I-NA ŠÀBI KUR URUHa-at-ti hi-in-kan tar-na-at-ten

nu-wa KUR URUHa-at-ti hi-in-ga-na-az a-ru-um-ma me-ek-ki ta-ma-as-ta-at

nu-wa PA-AN A-BI-YA PA-AN SEŠ-YA ak-ki-is-ki-ta-at

ku-it-ta-ya-wa-az am-mu-uk A-NA DINGIRMEŠ ki-is-ha-at nu-wa ki-nu-un-ma am-mu-uk pe-ra-an ak-ki-is-ki-it-ta-ri

ka-a-as MU.20.KAM ku-it-kan I-NA ŠÀ KUR URUHa-at-ti ak-ki-is-ki-it-ta-ri

nu-kan IŠ-TU KUR URUHa-at-ti hi-in-kan ar-ha Ú-UL-pat ta-ru-up-ta-ri

am-mu-uk-ma-az SÀ-az-ma la-ah-la-ah-hi-ma-an Ú-UL tar-ah-mi NÍ.TE-az-ma-za pit-tu-li-ya-an nam-ma Ú-UL tar-ah-mi

ŠA-NU-Ú TUP-PU-ma ŠA URUKu-ru-us-ta-am-ma LÚMEŠ URUKu-ru-us-ta-am-ma ma-ah-ha-an DU URUHa-at-ti I-NA KUR URUMi-iz-ri pe-e-da-as

nu-us-ma-as DIM URUHa-at-ti ma-ah-ha-an is-hi-ú-ul A-NA LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti me-na-ah-ha-an-da i-ya-at

nam-ma-at IŠ-TU DU URUHa-at-ti li-in-ga-nu-wa-an-te-es

nu LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti ku-it LÚMEŠ URUMi-iz-ri IŠ-TU DIM URUHa-at-ti li-in-ga-nu-wa-an-te-es e-se-er

nu ú-e-er LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti pe-ra-an wa-ah-nu-e-er nu-kan NI-IŠ DINGIRLIM LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti hu-u-da-a-ak sar-ri-i-e-er

nu A-BU-YA ERINMEŠ ANŠE.KUR.RAMEŠ u-i-ya-at nu ZAG KUR Mi-iz-ri KUR Am-ga wa-al-ah-hi-ir

nam-ma-ya u-i-ya-at nu nam-ma wa-al-ah-hi-ir

LÚMEŠ URUMi-iz-ri ma-ah-ha-an na-ah-sa-ri-ya-an-ta-at

na-at ú-e-er nu A-NA A-BI-YA DUMU-ŠU LUGAL-u-iz-na-an-ni an-ku ú-e-ke-er

nu-us-ma-as ma-ah-ha-an A-BU-YA a-pe-e-el DUMU-ŠU pe-e-es-ta na-an ma-ah-ha-an pe-e-hu-te-er

na-an-kan ku-e-en-ni-ir

A-BU-YA-ma `ka-pi-la-az-at-ta na-as I-NA KUR Mi-iz-ri pa-it nu KUR URUMi-iz-ri wa-al-ah-ta

ERINMEŠ-ya-kan ANŠE.KUR.RAMEŠ ŠA KUR Mi-iz-ri ku-en-ta

Lesson Text

DIM URUHa-at-ti BE-LÍ-YA Ù DINGIRMEŠ URUHa-at-ti BE-LUMEŠ-YA u-i-ya-at-mu MMu-ur-si-li-is su-um-me-e-el ARAD-KU-NU
 i-it-wa A-NA DIM URUHa-at-ti BE-LÍ-YA Ù A-NA DINGIRMEŠ BE-LUMEŠ-YA ki-is-sa-an me-mi
 ki-i-ma ku-it i-ya-at-ten
 nu-wa-kan I-NA ŠÀBI KUR URUHa-at-ti hi-in-kan tar-na-at-ten
 nu-wa KUR URUHa-at-ti hi-in-ga-na-az a-ru-um-ma me-ek-ki ta-ma-as-ta-at
 nu-wa PA-AN A-BI-YA PA-AN SEŠ-YA ak-ki-is-ki-ta-at
 ku-it-ta-ya-wa-az am-mu-uk A-NA DINGIRMEŠ ki-is-ha-at nu-wa ki-nu-un-ma am-mu-uk pe-ra-an ak-ki-is-ki-it-ta-ri
 ka-a-as MU.20.KAM ku-it-kan I-NA ŠÀ KUR URUHa-at-ti ak-ki-is-ki-it-ta-ri
 nu-kan IŠ-TU KUR URUHa-at-ti hi-in-kan ar-ha Ú-UL-pat ta-ru-up-ta-ri
 am-mu-uk-ma-az SÀ-az-ma la-ah-la-ah-hi-ma-an Ú-UL tar-ah-mi NÍ.TE-az-ma-za pit-tu-li-ya-an nam-ma Ú-UL tar-ah-mi
ŠA-NU-Ú TUP-PU-ma ŠA URUKu-ru-us-ta-am-ma LÚMEŠ URUKu-ru-us-ta-am-ma ma-ah-ha-an DU URUHa-at-ti I-NA KUR URUMi-iz-ri pe-e-da-as
 nu-us-ma-as DIM URUHa-at-ti ma-ah-ha-an is-hi-ú-ul A-NA LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti me-na-ah-ha-an-da i-ya-at
 nam-ma-at IŠ-TU DU URUHa-at-ti li-in-ga-nu-wa-an-te-es
 nu LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti ku-it LÚMEŠ URUMi-iz-ri IŠ-TU DIM URUHa-at-ti li-in-ga-nu-wa-an-te-es e-se-er
 nu ú-e-er LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti pe-ra-an wa-ah-nu-e-er nu-kan NI-IŠ DINGIRLIM LÚMEŠ URUHa-at-ti hu-u-da-a-ak sar-ri-i-e-er
 nu A-BU-YA ERINMEŠ ANŠE.KUR.RAMEŠ u-i-ya-at nu ZAG KUR Mi-iz-ri KUR Am-ga wa-al-ah-hi-ir
 nam-ma-ya u-i-ya-at nu nam-ma wa-al-ah-hi-ir
 LÚMEŠ URUMi-iz-ri ma-ah-ha-an na-ah-sa-ri-ya-an-ta-at
 na-at ú-e-er nu A-NA A-BI-YA DUMU-ŠU LUGAL-u-iz-na-an-ni an-ku ú-e-ke-er
 nu-us-ma-as ma-ah-ha-an A-BU-YA a-pe-e-el DUMU-ŠU pe-e-es-ta na-an ma-ah-ha-an pe-e-hu-te-er
 na-an-kan ku-e-en-ni-ir
 A-BU-YA-ma `ka-pi-la-az-at-ta na-as I-NA KUR Mi-iz-ri pa-it nu KUR URUMi-iz-ri wa-al-ah-ta
 ERINMEŠ-ya-kan ANŠE.KUR.RAMEŠ ŠA KUR Mi-iz-ri ku-en-ta

Translation

O, Stormgod of Hatti, my Lord, and gods of Hatti, my Lords, Mursilis your servant has sent me, (saying) go and speak to the Stormgod of Hatti and to the gods, My Lords, as follows: "What is this that you have done? You have let loose the plague in the interior of the land of Hatti. And the land of Hatti has been sorely, greatly oppressed by the plague. Under my father (and) under my brother there was constant dying. And since I became priest of the gods, there is now constant dying under me. Behold, it is twenty years since people have been continually dying in the interior of Hatti. Will the plague never be eliminated from the land of Hatti? I cannot overcome the worry from my heart; I cannot overcome the anguish from my soul."
The second tablet concerned the town of Kurustamma--how the Stormgod of Hatti brought the men of Kurustamma into the territory of Egypt (and) how the Stormgod of Hatti made a treaty between them and the men of Hatti. And they were put under oath by the Stormgod of Hatti and the men of Egypt were (bound) under oath by the Stormgod of Hatti. And the men of Hatti got the upper hand and immediately the men of Hatti broke the oath (of the treaty). My father sent infantry and chariot fighters and they attacked the border territory at Amga. And, moreover, he sent (more troops); and again, they attacked. (The tablet related) How the men of Egypt became afraid. They came, and they asked my father outright for his son for kingship. And when they led him away, they killed him. And my father became angry, and he went into Egyptian territory, and he attacked the infantry and chariot fighters of Egypt.

Grammar

36. R-, L- and N-stem nouns

Unlike the neuter r/n-stem nouns, the r-stem nouns have a suffix in -r- throughout their paradigms. The word for "hand," kessar, which is animate, retains an especially archaic kind of inflection. In the nominative singular, the archaic form kessar is often replaced by kessaras with -as the ending of nominative animate a-stems:

    Singular   Plural
nom.   kess-ar    
acc.   kess-er-an   kiss-er-us
gen   kis-r-as   *kiss-r-as
dat/loc.   kessar, kiss-ar-i, kis-r-i, kessar   kis-r-as
abl.   kiss-ar-ā    
inst   kiss-ar-az, kis-r-az    
all.   kiss-r-it    

The paradigms of other r-stem nouns are not as elaborate as that of kessar. These nouns have traditionally been understood as neuters, but evidence from adjectival and pronominal agreement suggests that at least some may originally have been animate. The nouns huppar 'bowl' and kūrur 'war, hostility' illustrate the inflection of nouns in -ar- and -ur-. Like kessar, huppar sometimes adopts the ending of the animate a-stem nouns. Forms with the animate accusative a-stem ending -an are also found. Nominative-accusative plural neuter and nominative and accusative forms both occur. In some contexts, kūrur is best translated as an adjective 'hostile'. Nominative-accusative plural neuter forms occur, and genitive and dative-locative plural forms end, like huppar, in -as, but accusative forms are not attested.

Singular        
nom.   hupp-ar, hupp-ar-as   kūr-ur, kūr-ur-as
acc.   hupp-ar, hupp-ar-an    
gen.   huppar-as   kūr-ur-as
dat/loc.   hupp-ar-i   kū-ur-i
abl.   hupp-ar-az, huppa-ra-za   kūr-ur-an-za
inst.   hupp-ar-it   *kūr-ur-it
all.   *huppar-a    
Plural        
nom/acc. neut.   hupp-ar-i   kū-ur, kū-ur-i
nom.   hupp-ar-as    
acc.   hupp-ar-us    
gen.   hupp-ar-as   *kū-ur-as
dat/loc.   *hupp-ar-as   kū-ur-as

L-stem nouns have a suffix with -l throughout their paradigms. Like the r-stems, they may, at least in part, have originally been animate. Ishiul 'instruction, treaty', which is related to the verb ishiya- 'bind', illustrates the inflection of a stem in -ul-. Mēmal 'meal' is a stem in -al-:

Singular        
nom.   ishi-ul   mēmal
acc.   ishi-ul   mēmal
gen.   ishi-ul-as   mēmal-as
dat/loc.   ishi-ul-i   *mēmal-i
abl.   ishi-ul-aza    
inst.   *ishi-ul-it   mēmal-it
all.        
Plural        
nom/acc. neut.   ishi-ul-i    
37. The Allative

With verbs of motion or setting in motion, the allative is the case that indicates goal. Its ending is -a or -ā. The allative is an archaism and normally found in older texts and in later copies of older texts:

    namma-as   sakuniya (all.)   paizzi
    moreover-she   to the spring   goes
    "Moreover, she goes to the spring."
             
    n-as   āsga   parā paizzi
    and-he   to the gate (all.)   goes onward
    "He goes onward to the gate."
             
    ÍD-pa   ishuwai
    into the river (all.)   she scatters
    "She scatters into the river"

The dative-locative, with or without a postposition, was also used to indicate goals in early texts, and in texts composed in the period of the Hittite Empire, the allative was gradually replaced by the dative-locative:

    n-at-kan   kariz   aruni   anda   pidāu
    and-it-locatival   flood   to the sea (dat.)   into   let carry
    "Let the flood carry it into the sea (or 'The flood shall carry it into the sea')."
38. Relative and Indefinite Pronouns and Clauses

In Hittite, as in English, the relative and interrogative pronouns and adverbs are identical in form:

Singular   animate       neuter
nom.   kuis       kuit
acc.   kuin       kuit
gen.       kuēl    
dat/loc.       kuedani    
abl.       kuēz    
Plural            
nom.   kuyēs       kue
acc.   kuyus       kue
gen.            
dat/loc.       kuedas    
abl.            

Hittite sentences with relative clauses are composed of at least two clauses: a main clause and a subordinate relative clause modifying a noun in the main clause. Either the main clause or the relative clause may have additional subordinate clauses (e.g., adverbial clauses). As in English, the relative pronoun or adverb need not have the same syntactic function as the noun it modifies in the relative clause. One way in which Hittite relative clauses differ from English relative clauses is that the main clause often has a pronoun or noun that refers back to the relative pronoun.

    GUD-ya-wa-mu   kuin   tet   nu-war-an-mu   uppi
    ox-and-quotative-me   that   you said   and-quotative-it-me   send
    "And the ox that you promised me, send it to me."
                     
    DKallis-wa-kan   kuedani   ANA   HUR.SAG   artari
    Kallis-quotative-locatival   on which   on   mountain   stands
    nu-wa   HUR.SAG   KÙ.BABBAR GAR.RA   ēsta    
    and-quotative   mountain   silver-plated   is    
    "The mountain on which the divine Kallis stands is a silver plated mountain."
                     
    kī-kan   tuppi   kuis   DUB.ŠAR-as   halzāi
    this-locatival   tablet   who   scribe   reads
    n-an   DÉ.A-as   hattannnas   LUGAL-us   hilimnass-a
    and-him   Ea   of wisdom   king   of the gate-house-and
    DUTU-us   assūli   pahsantaru        
    Sungod   in favor   may protect        
    "May Ea, king of wisdom and Sungod of the gate-house protect in favor the scribe who reads this tablet."
                     
    nu   IŠTU   EME-YA   kuyēs   DINGIRMEŠ   halzihhun
    and   with   tongue-my   who   gods   I called upon
    nu   ANA   DINGIRMEŠ   arkuwanun        
    and   to   gods   I prayed        
    nu-mu-kan   DINGIRMEŠ-as   uwaniyanut   dapiyas        
    and-me-locatival   gods   intercede   all        
    "The gods who I called upon with my tongue -- I prayed to the gods -- intercede for me with all those gods."
38.1. Definite and Indefinite Relative Clauses

Hittite has two kinds of relative clauses: so-called determinate relative clauses, clauses in which the relative pronoun refers to a specific known entity, and indeterminate relative clauses, clauses in which the relative pronoun refers to an unspecified entity whose existence may be in doubt. The indeterminate clauses are similar in meaning to English clauses with the indefinite relative pronouns "whoever" and "whichever," etc., or to clauses in which the noun modified is preceded by an indefinite such as "any." Determinate and indeterminate clauses are distinguished by the position of the relative pronoun:

In indeterminate clauses, the relative is in initial position. It may be preceded only by a conjunction (with or without attached enclitics):

    kuis   IKRIBI   sarninkuwas   n-an   sarninkanzi
    whatever   votive offering   of restitution   and-it   they make restitution
    "Any votive offering which is to be made in restitution, they will make it (in) restitution."
                     
    n-asta   kuis   kūs   NIŠ DINGIRMEŠ   sarriezzi
    and-locatival   anyone who   these   oaths   breaks
    n-an   kē   NIŠ DINGIRMEŠ   appandu    
    and-him   these   oaths   let them seize    
    "Let these oaths seize anyone who breaks these oaths."
                     
    kuit   handān   apāt   īssa
    whatever   fitting   that   he shall do
    "Whatever is fitting, that he shall do."

In determinate clauses, by contrast, the relative is never clause initial. It may precede or follow the noun or noun phrase it refers to:

    nu   IKRIBIHI.A-ma   kuyēs   sarnikuwēs   n-as   sarninkanzi
    and   votive-offerings-but   that   restitution   and-them   they make restitution
    "But they will make in restitution those votive offerings which are to be made in restitution."
                         
    tuk-ma   DUTUŠI   kuit   KUR-TAM   ADDIN
    to you-but   my majesty   which   land   I have given
    nu-za   apāt   KUR-TAM   pahsi    
    and-reflexive   that   land   protect    
    "But protect that land which I, my majesty, have given to you."
                     
    BE-LU-ma   kuyus   LÚ. MEŠTEMI   wiēskesi
    lord-but   whom   messengers   you keep sending
    n-as-kan   ammuk   parā naiskemi    
    and-them-locatival   I   will keep dispatching    
    "Lord, the messengers whom you keep sending, I will keep dispatching them (to their next stop)."
38.2. Non-restrictive Relative Clauses

Like English, Hittite made a distinction between restrictive, or identifying clauses, such as those give above, that identify a particular person or entity and non-restrictive, or commenting clauses, that simply provide a comment on the noun they modify. Non-restrictive clauses, which are relatively infrequent, always come after the main clause:

    nu-za   DKumarbis   GALAG-tar   ZI-ni   kattan daskezzi
    and-reflexive   Kumarbi   wisdom   into mind   takes
    UD.KAM-an   kuis   LÚ   HUL-an   sallanuskezzi
    day   who   man   evil   raises
    "Kumarbi, who raises the day as an evil being, takes wisdom into his mind."
38.3. Relative Adverbs

Relative clauses may also contain relative adverbs modifying expressions of time or place, for example:

    n-as   seszi   kuwapi   nu-za-kan   apiya-pat   warpzi
    and-he   sleeps   where   and-reflexive   in-place-very-same   he bathes
    "And he sleeps in the very same place where he bathes."
38.4. Emphasis

Indefinite relative clauses are emphasized in a number of ways. The conjunctive particle -a 'but' is sometimes found attached to the relative pronoun, for example:

    namma   kuis-a   LUGAL-us   kisari
    moreover   whoever   king   becomes
    "Moreover, whoever becomes king..."

The relative pronoun may be repeated:

    LÚ-as   kuis kuis   LUGAL-was   peran   ēszi
    man   whichever   king   in front of   sits
    "Whichever man sits in front of the king..."
                     
    kuit kuit   harkzi   t-at   sarnikzi
    whatever   gets lost   and-it   he compensates
    "He compensates whatever is lost."

The relative pronoun in indefinitie clauses is sometimes strengthened with the adverb imma, which when used independently means 'indeed, surely', and this adverb often comes between repeated relative pronouns:

    kuis-kan imma kuis   ŠA-BI   KUR   ÍDHulaya   es:zi
    whoever-locatival-indeed-who   inside   land   Hulaya river   is
    "Whoever is in the Hulaya river land..."
                     
    kuedani imma kuedani   ITU-mi
    in-whatever-indeed-in-which   in month
    "in whatever month"

In addition to the relative-interrogative pronoun and adjective in kui- Hittite also had remnants of a interrogative and indefinite relative made from a stem masi-. Although the pronoun itself is relatively rare, its stem masi- forms the basis for several relative adverbs and adjectives, such as masiwan 'as much as, how much as, however many times', or masianki 'however many times'. Its use seems to parallel that of kui- in indefinite relatives.

    nu-kan   INA   URUZithara   masiyēs
    and-locatival   in   Zithara   however many
    DINGIRMEŠ   ŠÀ   ÉDINGIRLIM    
    deities   of   temple    
    n-at   hūmandus-pat   SIXSA-antat    
    and-they   all-surely   were determined by oracle    
    "However many deities (are) in the temple in Zithara, they were all determined by oracle (as causes of the king's sickness)."

As with kui-, indeterminate relative clauses may be strengthened by repeating the pronoun or by the addition of the adverb imma 'indeed'.

38.5. Indefinite Pronouns

In addition to relative and interrogative pronouns, Hittite has a series of indefinite pronouns meaning "someone," "something," "anyone," or "anything." These are made from the relative-interrogative pronoun to which a particle spelled ki, ka, ga or qa is attached. They are used in non-relative sentences in which the referent of the pronoun is an unknown person or thing.

Singular   animate       neuter
nom.   kuiski, kuiska       kuitki, kuitka
acc.   kuinki       kuitki, kuitka
gen.       kuelka, kuelki    
dat/loc.       kuedanikki    
abl.       kuezga    
Plural            
nom.   kuyēsqa        
acc.   kuyuga        
gen.            
dat/loc.       kuedasqa    
             
    takku   LÚDAM.GÀR   URUHatti   kuiski   kuenzi
    if   merchant   Hatti   someone   kills
    "If someone kills a merchant of the city of Hatti..."