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The Basalt

>The Kumarbi Cycle was a Hurrian myth adapted by the Hittites. While Kumarbi himself was a Hurrian god, the epic incorporates other gods from Near Eastern cultures, like the Babylonians and Syrians. The storm god, called Teshub in Hurrian, was replaced with the Hittite and Luwian god Tarhun. His sister, Shawushka, was replaced with Anzili. The Kumarbi Cycle describes the birth of gods and the struggle for succession for the rule of heaven. This theme of divine succession would later be appropriated by the Greeks, as seen in Hesiod’sTheogony.

>TheSong of Ullikummiagain begins with Kumarbi heading down to the Sea in order to give birth to another child that will rival Tarhun. This child was born from a basalt stone, and Kumarbi named him Ullikummi, which translates to “destroy Kummi,” the city where Tarhun was king. Ullikummi was given to the Fate Goddesses to raise and then given to anAtlas-like god named Ubelluri. Each day, the young god grew larger, until he grew so tall that the waters of the sea reached only to his waist and he could touch the heavens. The sun god, Istanu, saw Ullikummi and went down to Tarhun to warn the Storm God.

>Like in theSong of Hedammu, Anzili is called upon to seduce the basalt giant. She adorned herself in gold and burned incense. She played a lyre, struck cymbals, and sang songs to gain Ullikummi’s attention. The giant came to her, but he was immune to her seduction, telling her to go and get Tarhun. Hearing of his sister’s failure, Tarhun prepared himself for battle. The Storm God and 70 other gods battled against Ullikummi but were soundly defeated, and Ullikummi scattered them out of heaven.