Ḫašamili
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Ḫašamili (also
romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
as Ḫašammili; the variant Ḫašameli appears in the text CTH 617) was a god worshiped in
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
. He originated in religious beliefs of the
Hattians The Hattians () were an ancient Bronze Age people that inhabited the land of ''Hatti'', in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). They spoke a distinctive Hattian language, which was neither Semitic languages, Semitic nor Indo-European languages, In ...
, and later came to be incorporated into the Hittite,
Palaic Palaic is an extinct Indo-European language, attested in cuneiform tablets in Bronze Age Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites. Palaic, which was apparently spoken mainly in northern Anatolia, is generally considered to be one of four primary sub ...
and
Luwian Luwian (), sometimes known as Luvian or Luish, is an ancient language, or group of languages, within the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The ethnonym Luwian comes from ''Luwiya'' (also spelled ''Luwia'' or ''Luvia'') – ...
pantheons. He was regarded as a protective
household deity A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in paganism as well as in folklore across many parts of the world. Household deities fit int ...
, and was additionally associated with
metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals in order to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term, it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on e ...
. He appears in the myth of , but his role in it is not fully understood.


Name and character

The theonym Ḫašamili originates in the
Hattic language Hattic, or Hattian, was a non-Indo-European agglutinative language spoken by the Hattians in Asia Minor in the 2nd millennium BC. Scholars call the language "Hattic" to distinguish it from Hittite, the Indo-European language of the Hittite Emp ...
. Multiple phonetic spellings are attested in
cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...
texts in Hattic, Hittite and
Palaic Palaic is an extinct Indo-European language, attested in cuneiform tablets in Bronze Age Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites. Palaic, which was apparently spoken mainly in northern Anatolia, is generally considered to be one of four primary sub ...
. Ḫašamili's character is not fully understood.
Volkert Haas Volkert Haas (1 November 1936 – 13 May 2019) was a German Assyrologist and Hittitologist. __NOTOC__ Life Volkert Haas studied Assyrology and Near Eastern archaeology at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Marburg from 1963 to ...
considered him primarily an
apotropaic Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tr ...
deity responsible for the protection of children. According to he was regarded as a
household deity A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in paganism as well as in folklore across many parts of the world. Household deities fit int ...
responsible for the well-being of families, and in that capacity was closely associated with Zilipuri. It is also assumed that he was a smithing god. He is described as a "strong smith" (LÚSIMUG ''innarawandan'') in the temple construction ritual CTH 726.1, which also associates him with iron, nails and bronze hammers. Romina Della Casa suggests that by extension of his role as a divine smith he might have been also regarded as a war god, which might be reflected in '' Muršili's Annals'' (CTH 62) where he is credited with hiding the Hittite army from enemies, though due to lack of details in the relevant passage this proposal remains speculative.


Worship

The theonym Ḫazamil attested in Old Assyrian texts from the '' karum'' (trading colony) Kanesh is presumed to be an early variant of Ḫašamili's name. He was also grouped with other "gods of Kanesh", such as Ḫalki, Pirwa and Maliya, in later Hittite sources. Ḫašamili was already commonly worshiped by Hittites and
Luwians The Luwians (also known as Luvians) were an ancient people in Anatolia who spoke the Luwian language. During the Bronze Age, Luwians formed part of the population of the Hittite Empire and adjoining states such as Kizzuwatna. During the Hittite ...
in the Old Hittite period, which according to likely indicates he was among the Hattic deities who had no earlier counterparts in their pantheon. A temple dedicated to him existed in
Hattusa Hattusa, also Hattuşa, Ḫattuša, Hattusas, or Hattusha, was the capital of the Hittites, Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age during two distinct periods. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey (originally Boğazköy) within the great ...
. He was also among the deities celebrated during the festival held in this city. He is additionally attested in rituals pertaining to the poorly understood ''ḫešta'' building alongside Zilipuri; both of them appear as members of a group of deities associated with
Lelwani Lelwani or Leluwani was a Hittite deity of the underworld of Hattic origin. While originally regarded as male and addressed as a "king," due to influence of Hurrian beliefs on the Hittites, Lelwani started to be viewed as female in later periods ...
. In the treaty between
Šuppiluliuma I Šuppiluliuma I, also Suppiluliuma () or Suppiluliumas (died c. 1322 BC) () was an ancient Hittite king (r. –1322 BC).Bryce 2005: xv, 154; Freu 2007b: 311 dates the reign to c. 1350–c. 1319 BC; Kuhrt 1995: 230 dates him within the range 1370 ...
and Å attiwaza of
Mitanni Mitanni (–1260 BC), earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, ; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat in Assyrian records, or in Ancient Egypt, Egyptian texts, was a Hurrian language, Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria (region), Syria an ...
, he is listed as one of the divine witnesses on the Hittite side. Luwian cities in which Ḫašamili was worshiped include , located in the basin of the river Zuliya (modern Çekerek River), and nearby . Ḫašamili was also incorporated into the pantheon of the Palaians, whose religion was heavily influenced by the Hattians. He is mentioned in the descriptions of ceremonies held in the temple of their head god
Ziparwa Ziparwa, originally known as Zaparwa, was the head of the pantheon of the Palaians, inhabitants of a region of northern Anatolia known as Pala (Anatolia), Pala in the Bronze Age. It is often assumed that he was a weather god in origin, though he w ...
in Hattusa. In this context, he formed a group alongside
Kataḫzipuri Kataḫzipuri (also known as Kataḫziwuri) was a goddess worshiped by Hattians, Hittites and Pala (Anatolia), Palaians in Bronze Age Anatolia. She was associated with magic, and was commonly invoked in rituals dealing with healing and purificatio ...
, Kammamma, , and . Based on the phonetic similarity of the names it has been suggested that Kasmilos, a figure regarded as the brother of Kaberoi in
Samothrace Samothrace (also known as Samothraki; , ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a municipality within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is long, in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census). Its main industries ...
and sometimes identified with
Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
, might have been a late reflection of Ḫašamili. Ian Rutherford proposes that his cult might have originally been transferred to the west from Pala through
Wilusa Wilusa () or Wilusiya was a Late Bronze Age city in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) known from references in fragmentary Hittites, Hittite records. The city is notable for its identification with the archaeological site of Troy, and thus its ...
or
Assuwa Assuwa () was a region of Bronze Age Anatolia located west of the Kızılırmak River. It was mentioned in Aegean, Anatolian and Egyptian inscriptions but is best known from Hittite records describing a league of 22 towns or states that rebe ...
. However, he stresses there is ultimately very little certain evidence for Hittite influence on later Greek religion.


Mythology

Ḫašamili appears in the myth of , in which he and the fate goddesses ( Gulšeš) are the only deities who manage to escape from the eponymous being, presumed to be a personification of frost or
numbness Hypoesthesia or numbness is a common side effect of various medical conditions that manifests as a reduced sense of touch or sensation, or a partial loss of sensitivity to Sensory receptor, sensory stimuli. In everyday speech this is generally r ...
. The myth relays that he was spared because his brothers were also the brothers of Ḫaḫḫima. Due to imperfect understanding of his character this part of the narrative remains poorly understood. No other text refers to any deities as his siblings, though
Volkert Haas Volkert Haas (1 November 1936 – 13 May 2019) was a German Assyrologist and Hittitologist. __NOTOC__ Life Volkert Haas studied Assyrology and Near Eastern archaeology at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Marburg from 1963 to ...
suggests that a group consisting of divine representations of the
moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
, the stars and the night included alongside him in lists of offerings might be meant. His proposal is also supported by Romina Della Casa.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * *{{citation, last=Weiher, first=Egbert von, entry=Ḫašamili (Protohattischer Gott), encyclopedia=Reallexikon der Assyriologie, year=1972, entry-url=http://publikationen.badw.de/en/rla/index#5151, language=de, access-date=2023-12-21 Hattian deities Hittite deities Luwian gods Palaic mythology Household deities Smithing gods