Information about the Hittites

The Speech Loss of Mursili II The Speech Loss of Muršili II
CTH 486

Ed. Götze, Albrecht and Holger Pedersen, Muršilis Sprachlähmung; ein Hethitischer Text, Det Kbl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Historisk-filologiske Meddelelser. XXI, 1 (1934)

Introduction

This prayer by Muršili II is particularly interesting in that it appears to describe how the Great King suffered a stroke. The ritual exposes how the Hittites did not have any medical framework within which to understand the affliction. Instead, they resort to a fairly typical Hittite ritual. A series of oracular inquiries are made, first to determine which god was responsible, and then to discover what should be done to appease the god. In this case the event is tied to an earlier event that occurred sometime in the king's past, in which he had been so frightened by a storm that it affected his speech.

An attempt is made to restore the king's purity by means of gathering together various objects connected with the earlier event, removing the impurity into an outside object - in this case an ox - through a laying on of hands, and then sending it far away to be destroyed. A further ritual involving the burning of birds and lambs is performed in order to appease the angered god. This ritual uses various Hurrian terms in order to describe for what purpose each animal is being sacrificed. Each animal appears to be sacrificed for some particular aspect of the king's wellbeing.

Translation

§1
Thusly My Sun, Muršili, Greak King: [Formerly^?] I drove to the ruined town of Kunnu. The Storm God brought a storm, and then kept thundering frightfully. I was afraid, and speech became scarce in my mouth. The matter went up from me as something small, and I put aside that matter entirely. As the years came and went, it came about that that matter began appearing to me in dreams. The hand of a god reached out to me in a dream and my mouth went to the side. So I inquired by oracle, and the Storm God of the town of Manuzziya was identified (as the god responsible). I made an inquiry by oracle to the Storm God of Manuzziya, and it was determined to send him a substitute ox for 'turning' by fire and birds for 'turning'. I made an inquiry by oracle (to the god) about the substitute ox, and he established to send (it) to the temple, in his place in the land of Kummanni. So they decorated a substitute ox, and My Sun placed his hand upon (it). They sent it forth into the land of Kummanni. Afterwards, My Sun gave reverence. The day on which they decorated the substitute ox, on that day My Sun bathed, and throughout that previous night he slept apart from (any) woman. In the morning, as he had bathed and placed his hand on the substitute ox in the aforementioned way, when they sent forth the substitute ox, for seven days after the substitute ox he bathes in the sacred fashion. While they were moving the substitute ox to the town of Kummanni, and were still driving it, did [he] hesitate in any way? In no way did My Sun wait! My Sun passed seven full days, and on exactly the eigth day [. . .] As the seventh day concluded^?, My Sun [. . . (2 lines fragmentary) . . .] He burned the birds in this way: 1 bird enumaššiya, 1 bird ariya itarkiya, 1 bird ariya mutriya, 1 bird iniya iririya, 1 bird ilmiya parmiya, 1 bird irilteḫiya, 1 bird ulaḫulziya, 1 bird duwanteḫiya, 1 lamb taḫašiya durušiya, 1 bird kipiššiya punuḫunšiya, 1 bird gamiršiya, 1 bird anišḫiya pindiḫiya, 1 bird šerdiḫiya šerapiḫiya, 1 bird tatiya duwarniya, and 1 lamb zuzumakiya. They determined by oracle to burn by fire in this way. As [the birds burned, just so the matter] with the substitute ox is recorded (in heiroglyphs) [on a wooden tablet]. And [they performed] it [in the previously mentioned way. On what] day they sent it forth, to the [Storm] God [. . . to . . .] and for the table [. . .] they sent on [that] day.

§2
To the Storm God - for ambašši, 1 sheep and for keldi, [1 sheep]; to the gods of men - for ambašši [1 sheep and for keldi] 1 sheep; to divine Elluri - for ambašši [1 ox and 1 sheep, and for keldi] 1 ox and 1 sheep; to the table [. . .] to divine Elluri, 1 [. . .]

§3
[The day on which] I put [(my) hand] on the substitute ox, on which [day they sent] it forth, the ceremonial robes [which I had worn] on that day, they afterwards gathered together there the ceremonial robes along with the belt, dagger, and shoes with [. .], and carried them off. They gathered together the harnessed chariot along with bow, quiver, and horses, and drove them away. The table from which I used to eat, the cup from which I used to drink, the bed on which I used to sleep, the basin from which I used to wash, verily each implement was summoned - nothing was taken (for personal use). Just as it was determined by the god, in this matter he took the ceremonial robes, the chariot, and the horses. On what day the Storm God thundered frightfully and brought a storm, the ceremonial robes which I wore on that day, and the chariot on which I had stood on that day, they then took these cermonial garments and that hitched chariot, too.

§4
When they transfer the substitute ox, as the ritual of the substitute ox was formerly written on a wooden tablet, as the obligation was made, and as the ambašši and keldi rituals for the god were formerly made on a wooden tablet, in that way they will perform them. When he kills the substitute ox behind the road, because he is far away, when [they move] it there, they will drive another substitute ox [decorated] with that decoration. They will give another, and they will burn those decorations along with that substitute ox.

					Why?
	The Speech Loss of Mursili II The Speech Loss of Muršili II CTH 486 Ed. Götze, Albrecht and Holger Pedersen, Muršilis Sprachlähmung; ein Hethitischer Text, Det Kbl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab, Historisk-filologiske Meddelelser. XXI, 1 (1934) *Introduction* This prayer by Muršili II is particularly interesting in that it appears to describe how the Great King suffered a stroke. The ritual exposes how the Hittites did not have any medical framework within which to understand the affliction. Instead, they resort to a fairly typical Hittite ritual. A series of oracular inquiries are made, first to determine which god was responsible, and then to discover what should be done to appease the god. In this case the event is tied to an earlier event that occurred sometime in the king's past, in which he had been so frightened by a storm that it affected his speech. An attempt is made to restore the king's purity by means of gathering together various objects connected with the earlier event, removing the impurity into an outside object - in this case an ox - through a laying on of hands, and then sending it far away to be destroyed. A further ritual involving the burning of birds and lambs is performed in order to appease the angered god. This ritual uses various Hurrian terms in order to describe for what purpose each animal is being sacrificed. Each animal appears to be sacrificed for some particular aspect of the king's wellbeing. *Translation* §1 Thusly My Sun, Muršili, Greak King: [Formerly^?] I drove to the ruined town of Kunnu. The Storm God brought a storm, and then kept thundering frightfully. I was afraid, and speech became scarce in my mouth. The matter went up from me as something small, and I put aside that matter entirely. As the years came and went, it came about that that matter began appearing to me in dreams. The hand of a god reached out to me in a dream and my mouth went to the side. So I inquired by oracle, and the Storm God of the town of Manuzziya was identified (as the god responsible). I made an inquiry by oracle to the Storm God of Manuzziya, and it was determined to send him a substitute ox for 'turning' by fire and birds for 'turning'. I made an inquiry by oracle (to the god) about the substitute ox, and he established to send (it) to the temple, in his place in the land of Kummanni. So they decorated a substitute ox, and My Sun placed his hand upon (it). They sent it forth into the land of Kummanni. Afterwards, My Sun gave reverence. The day on which they decorated the substitute ox, on that day My Sun bathed, and throughout that previous night he slept apart from (any) woman. In the morning, as he had bathed and placed his hand on the substitute ox in the aforementioned way, when they sent forth the substitute ox, for seven days after the substitute ox he bathes in the sacred fashion. While they were moving the substitute ox to the town of Kummanni, and were still driving it, did [he] hesitate in any way? In no way did My Sun wait! My Sun passed seven full days, and on exactly the eigth day [. . .] As the seventh day concluded^?, My Sun [. . . (2 lines fragmentary) . . .] He burned the birds in this way: 1 bird enumaššiya, 1 bird ariya itarkiya, 1 bird ariya mutriya, 1 bird iniya iririya, 1 bird ilmiya parmiya, 1 bird irilteḫiya, 1 bird ulaḫulziya, 1 bird duwanteḫiya, 1 lamb taḫašiya durušiya, 1 bird kipiššiya punuḫunšiya, 1 bird gamiršiya, 1 bird anišḫiya pindiḫiya, 1 bird šerdiḫiya šerapiḫiya, 1 bird tatiya duwarniya, and 1 lamb zuzumakiya. They determined by oracle to burn by fire in this way. As [the birds burned, just so the matter] with the substitute ox is recorded (in heiroglyphs) [on a wooden tablet]. And [they performed] it [in the previously mentioned way. On what] day they sent it forth, to the [Storm] God [. . . to . . .] and for the table [. . .] they sent on [that] day. §2 To the Storm God - for ambašši, 1 sheep and for keldi, [1 sheep]; to the gods of men - for ambašši [1 sheep and for keldi] 1 sheep; to divine Elluri - for ambašši [1 ox and 1 sheep, and for keldi] 1 ox and 1 sheep; to the table [. . .] to divine Elluri, 1 [. . .] §3 [The day on which] I put [(my) hand] on the substitute ox, on which [day they sent] it forth, the ceremonial robes [which I had worn] on that day, they afterwards gathered together there the ceremonial robes along with the belt, dagger, and shoes with [. .], and carried them off. They gathered together the harnessed chariot along with bow, quiver, and horses, and drove them away. The table from which I used to eat, the cup from which I used to drink, the bed on which I used to sleep, the basin from which I used to wash, verily each implement was summoned - nothing was taken (for personal use). Just as it was determined by the god, in this matter he took the ceremonial robes, the chariot, and the horses. On what day the Storm God thundered frightfully and brought a storm, the ceremonial robes which I wore on that day, and the chariot on which I had stood on that day, they then took these cermonial garments and that hitched chariot, too. §4 When they transfer the substitute ox, as the ritual of the substitute ox was formerly written on a wooden tablet, as the obligation was made, and as the ambašši and keldi rituals for the god were formerly made on a wooden tablet, in that way they will perform them. When he kills the substitute ox behind the road, because he is far away, when [they move] it there, they will drive another substitute ox [decorated] with that decoration. They will give another, and they will burn those decorations along with that substitute ox.