Earlier on, regardless of changes in the ideology of kingship in the Empire period.

M Taracha 2005a: 94; 2008a. Cf. also Otten 1993; 10ff., 22ft, 35ff.; Singer 1996: 68; Klengel 2002;

Herbordt 2006. For a new bulla (Bo 2003/12) with an Impression of the Umarmung seai of Muwat-

talli II showing the king in the embrace of Tessub/Tarhunt, found “im Tal vor Sankale," see

Seeher 2004: 70, 71 fig. 22.

466 Güterbock 1993; van den Hont 1995; Bonatz 2007: esp. 125f.

Van den Hox.it 1998; 73.

KUB 48.68(4)36.91 obv. 8’ff., translated by Singer 2002a: 24; cf. also van den Hout 1998: 74;

Yakubovieh 2006: 111.

469 KU ß 43.68(4)36.91 rev. 4 ’ f. s.raixsioted by Singer 2002a: 25; cf. also van den Hout 1S9S: 74,

Gods of Kingship, [grahjt [now] to Mursili the king a mighty weapon, [ ]..., victory,

470

And growth in (lit. of) the land of Haiti.” ” The issue should be viewed against

-«471

a oroader Near Eastern background. According to Nicolas Wyatt, the “term ‘royal

Gods’ means that, apart from any other functions they performed, they represented

In the celestial world of the gods apotheosized aspects of kingship and were believed

To be present in some measure in the person of the reigning king.” 472

In official Propaganda which supported the legitimacy of power and the rights of

The heir to the throne, family relations between the gods of the dynastic pantheon

(3.2.2) were transposed onto members of the royal family. The seals of Urhi-Tessub

As his father’s heir presumptive (tuhkanti) are good examples, for they show him

473

in the embrace of Sarrumma, son of Tessub of Kizzuwatna. ' A little later, in the

New political Situation after the reconquest of northern territories by Hattusili III,

Who also dedared the Storm-god of Nerik his divine patron, court theologians re-

Vamped the traditional Hittite pantheon according to prineiples of family ties, pre-

Sumably modeling their efforts on the Organization of the dynastic pantheon. The Storm-

Gods of the holy cities of Nerik and Ziplanda became the sons of the supreme couple,

Storm-god of Hatti and Sun-goddess of Arinna. This allowed Hattusili III to include

The Storm-god of Nerik in the royal Propaganda as a guarantor of royal succession

For his son Tuthaliya. proclaimed archpriest of the god.: At the same time, however,

Sarrumma was Tuthaliya’s personal god and remained so even after his accession

475

To the throne.

The efforts of the court theologians to find references between the state and

Dynastic pantheons led to attempts to equate the Sun-goddess of Arinna and Tes-

sub’s consort Hebat.*' 6 Direct evidence of this approach appears in a prayer of queen

VS NF 12.7 iv 16f., Groddek 2002c: 84, 85, 90.

See, e.g., Wyatt’s comnients (2007: 47ff.) on Baal, Attar and Sapsu as royal deities in Ugarit.

Wyatt 2007: 48.

Hawkins 2001.

KUB 36.90 obv. Singer 2002a: 106; cf. also Yakubovieh 2005: 126,

For relief no. 81 from Yazihkaya with Sarrumma embracing Tuthaliya IV, see Orthmann 1983

With references; Ehringhaus 2005: 28f. Cf. also below, 3.2.10.

This had place already in an early phase of the Empire period, For example, in. the itkalzi ritual for

Tuthaliya III, father of Suppiluliuma I, Tessub’s partner is Hebst / Sun-goddess of Arinna, KUB

I 11. Haas.1984: 86 (no. 9). Cf. also the Muwattalli II prayer (CTH 381) where the supreme

Couple of the state pantheon: Storm-god, called pihassassi in this text, and Sun-goddess of Arinna i

Hebat, queen of Heaven, are mentioned among the gods worshiped in Samuha, KUB 6.45 i 41,

Singer 1996: 10. 33.

Hittite Anatolia

Puduhepa, wife of Hattusili III: “0 San-goddess of Arinna, mv lady. queen of all the

lands! In Haiti you gave yourself the na me Sun-goddess of Arinna, but the länd

which you made that of the eedar, there you gave yourself the name Hebat,” ‘ 1 Ideas

Of this kind could not expect to find understanding araong ordinary inhabitants of

The land of Hatti.

Dynastie pantheon

Lite many other Human and Hurrianized royal families of eastern Anatolia, Syria

And northern Mesopotamia, including the kings of Mittani, the new dynasty had

Tessub as its divine protector. This may also explain the occurrence of Hittite adap-

Tations of the Hurrian myths belonging to the Kumarbi cycle in the royal archives

of Hattusa (3.2.9). As a matter of fact, “the definition ‘Cycle of Kumarbi’ may no