Ḫedammu,

Hurrian The Hurrians (; ; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri) were a people who inhabited the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age. They spoke the Hurro-Urartian language, Hurrian language, and lived throughout northern Syria (region) ...

Apše ("Snake"), is a sea-dragon from

Hittite mythology Hittite mythology and Hittite religion were the religious beliefs and practices of the Hittites, who created an empire centered in Anatolia from . Most of the narratives embodying Hittite mythology are lost, and the elements that would give ...

, which caused trouble on the Syrian coast. His Hittite counterpart was

Illuyanka In Hittite mythology, Illuyanka was a serpentine dragon slain by Tarḫunz (), the Hittite incarnation of the Hurrian god of sky and storm. It is known from Hittite cuneiform tablets found at Çorum-Boğazköy, the former Hittite capital Hat ...

. Ḫedammu is the son of the god

Kumarbi Kumarbi, also known as Kumurwe, Kumarwi and Kumarma, was a Hurrian god. He held a senior position in the Hurrian pantheon, and was described as the "father of gods". He was portrayed as an old, deposed king of the gods, though this most likely ...

and , the daughter of the personification of the sea,

Kiaše Kiaše, also spelled Kiaže or Kiyaši was a Hurrian deity representing the sea. Sometimes in modern scholarship, he is simply referred to as "the Sea" or "the Sea God." Based on evidence from Ugarit, Alalakh and Hattusa, it is assumed that he wa ...

. The sea-dragon possessed an enormous appetite and nearly consumed the goddess

Šauška Šauška (Shaushka), also called Šauša or Šawuška, was the highest ranked goddess in the Hurrian pantheon. She was associated with love and war, as well as with incantations and by extension with healing. While she was usually referred to as ...

(^d IŠTAR), but was eventually defeated by her charms and she gives birth to snakes from him.

Bibliography

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 ...

: ''Die hethitische Literatur. Texte, Stilistik, Motive.'' Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin etc. 2006, {{ISBN, 3-11-018877-5, pp. 153 ff. Hurrian legendary creatures Hittite legendary creatures Dragons Mythological aquatic creatures