Teshub was the Hurrian storm god and king of the gods, adopted into Hittite religion across Anatolia and northern Syria. In the ‘Kingship in Heaven’ myth cycle he is born from Kumarbi and wrests the rule of heaven from his father, later battling the monstrous stone giant Ullikummi to preserve the order of the gods. Worshipped through the second millennium BCE alongside his consort Hebat, Queen of Heaven, and their son Sharruma, his cult was bound to the Hittite and Hurrian states, and he is carved at the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya treading on two mountain gods. With the collapse of the Hittite empire around 1180 BCE and the slow fall of the Neo-Hittite kingdoms, his worship faded and was forgotten.
Worth remembering
- In the Hurrian 'Song of Kumarbi', Teshub is born from the god Kumarbi and goes on to seize kingship of heaven from him.
- He had to fight the monstrous stone giant Ullikummi, who grew so tall he threatened the gods, before order could be restored.
Gallery
Sources
- Teshub was the Hurrian weather and storm god, head of the Hurrian pantheon, adopted into Hittite religion. Wikipedia
- In the 'Kingship in Heaven' myth cycle, Teshub overthrows his father Kumarbi to become king of the gods. World History Encyclopedia
- Teshub was the Hurrian weather god who achieved supremacy over the pantheon after overthrowing Kumarbi; his consort was Hebat (Queen of Heaven) and his son Sharruma, and he is depicted at Yazılıkaya treading on two mountain gods. Encyclopaedia Britannica
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.