Illuyanka

Illuyanka is a sea dragon from Hittite mythology that is slain by the storm god Tarhunna, who is also the chief god of the Hittite pantheon.

Etymology[]

Illuyanka simply means "serpent" in Hittite and may be a common noun rather than a proper one.^[1]The term Illuyanka was also used by the Hittites to describe the Hurrian sea dragon Hedammu from the Kumarabi Cycle and in this usage meant "snake deity". In the texts, Illuyanka is also referred to as "the river of the watery abyss" ^[2]

Mythology[]

The myth of Illuyanka is found in two variants in the Catelogue des Textes Hittites, or the general body of Hittite inscriptions found on fragmentary tablets. In both versions Illyunka initially defeats Tarhunna, however he is ultimately usurped by the deity in two different ways.^[1]

In the first version, Tarhunna is assisted by the goddess Inara who begins with preparing a feast for the serpent with particularly large quantities of wine and beer. The goddess then asks for the assistance of the mortal Hupasoya from the town of Ziggaratta, who is willing to help on the condition the goddess sleeps with him, to which she agrees to. Inara then hides Hupaisya before then calling upon Illuyanka from his hole to her feast. The dragon accepts the invitation with him bringing his offspring along with, the group proceeding to eat and drink everything and getting intoxicated. With Illuynaka fully distracted, Hypasiya emerges from hiding and binds Illyunka before Tarhunna then arrives and slays his rival.^[1]

In the second version, in addition to defeating Tarhunna, Illuyanka takes out the god's heart and eyes as victory trophies. Sometime after, the disabled god marries a poor mortal woman and sires her a son. Tarhunna's son would go on to marry the daughter of Illuyanka, Tarhunna and his son managing to convince Illuyanka to return the god's eyes and hears back to him as a bride-price. After the marriage, Tarhunna in a rage rushes out to the sea and attacks Illuyanka alongside his son. At the point when Tarhunna is about to deliver the finishing blow, his son pleads his father to be killed alongside Illuyanka, to which Tarhunna obliges and takes out both Illyunaka and his son.^[1]

Related Myths[]

The conflict between Tarhunna and Illuyanka is notably similar to the conflict between Zeus and Typhon in Apollodorus's Biblotheca and Nonnus's Dinoysiaca. These similarities include the removal of the god's body parts as the dragon's victory trophies (hearts and eyes with the Illuyanka myth and sinews with the Typhon myth), the aid of another diety and mortal to usurp the dragon rival after the deity's initial defeat (Inara and Hupaiysa in the Illuyanka myth, Hermes and Aigipan in the Typhon myth), and both Illuyanka and Typhon being bound before being slain by their rival. Both of these myths fall under the more boarder folktale type ATU 1148B ('Thunder's Instruments').^[1]

Background[]

Illuyanka's appearances in Hittite literature date to 1600 to early 1500 BCE at the earliest. The myth was described in the ancient texts to have been narrated at the Purulli New Year's Festival with the king being in attendance. The myth of Tarhunna defeating Illyuanka has been debated by scholars to be a direct predecessor to the slaying of the previously mentioned Hedammu in the Kurambi Cycle, which in turn could've been one of the inspirations for the depiction of and slaying of the sea god Yam (of whom is described as serpentine) in the Ugaritic Cycle. All of these myths stem from the Chaoskampf trope where a hero or heroic deity slays a dragon or serpent associated with chaos.^[2]

The son of Tarhunna's sacrifice in the second rendition of the story is interpreted by scholars to have been unavoidable,with the son doing it out of free will. Walter Barket suggests this feature in the story reflects the ritual sacrifices performed in Hittite religious ceremonies for their deities, the Hittites seeing it as unavoidable and merely a consequence of having to appease to their gods.^[2]