Upelluri
| Upelluri | |
|---|---|
Primordial giant |
UpelluriorUbelluriwas a primordial giant inHurrian mythology.
He is only known from theSong ofUllikummi,which is one of the few Hurrian texts offering a view of this culture's cosmology.[1]It was believed that Upelluri was already alive during the separation of heaven and earth, which were placed on his back,[2]and that he lived in the "Dark Earth," the Hurrianunderworld.[3]His name ends with the Hurrian suffix -luri,known also from the names of the mountain goddessLelluriand Impaluri,sukkal(attendant deity) of the sea godKiaše,as well as a number of Hurrian mountain and stone names.[4]
In theSong of Ullikummi,known from poorly preserved fragments of a Hurrian original and a more complete Hittite translation, the eponymous monster is placed on his right shoulder by Irširra (perhaps to be identified as goddesses of nursing and midwifery[5]), the servants ofKumarbi,to let him grow away from sight of allies of Kumarbi's enemyTeshub,such as the sun godŠimige.[3]Later the godEaseeks him out in order to find out how to defeat Ullikummi, and asks him if he is aware of the identity of the monster growing on his back. As it turns out, Upelluri did not notice the new burden at first, but eventually he starts to feel discomfort, something that according to this text he did not experience even during the separation of heaven and earth. The rest of the tablet is broken, and the next preserved scene does not feature Upelluri anymore.[2]
It has been pointed out that the later GreekAtlasplays a cosmological role similar to that of Upelluri.[1]
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Bachvarova, Mary R. (2013)."The Hurro-Hittite Kumarbi Cycle".Gods, heroes, and monsters: a sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern myths.New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-064481-9.OCLC967417697.
- Haas, Volkert (2015).Geschichte der hethitischen Religion.Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East (in German). Brill.ISBN978-90-04-29394-6.Retrieved2022-03-14.
- Wilhelm, Gernot (2014),"Ullikummi",Reallexikon der Assyriologie(in German),retrieved2022-03-14
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