Information about the Hittites

Ritual of Paskwatti to Remove Sexual Dysfunction

Paškwatti's Ritual to Remove Sexual Dysfunction

(CTH #406)

KUB 9.24 + KUB 7.5 + KUB 7.8

Hoffner, Harry H. Jr., "Paskuwatti's ritual against sexual impotence (CTH 406)", Aula Orientalis 5 (1987) 271-287.

TRANSLATION

Col. I

�1
Thusly Paškwatti, the Arzawan woman (she dwells in Parašša): If sexual potency does not exist in a man, or he is not a man vis-à-vis a woman:

�2
I libate (to) the goddess Uliliyašši, and I entreat her for three days. On the first day I do as follows: One soldiers' bread is piled up, and these things are arranged with (it) - three sweet thick breads (of) moist flour (measuring) 1 tarna, figs, raisins, kallaktar (= opium?), parḫwena-grain of the deity, meal, a little of each in turn, a tuft of wool from a yanda-sheep, 1 wine pitcher, a robe or a cloak of that one (namely) the man who is the ritual's client. (These) things are placed (with) the soldiers' bread.

�3
A virgin lifts the things. The ritual's client is bathed. He walks behind. [I also] am bathed. We carry [the things] to an uncultivated place in open country. We position (ourselves). (Once) the aforementioned girl has lifted the soldiers' bread, I make gates of reeds.

�4
Then I bind them together with red wool and white wool. I place a spindle and a distaff in the hands of the ritual's client. He comes under the gates. As he steps through the gates, I take away the spindle and distaff from him, and I give him a bow and arrows. At the same time I speak thusly: "I just took away womanliness from you and gave manliness back to you! Further, you have thrown away the behavior of a woman from yourself! [You have taken] up for yourself the behavior of a man!"

�5
...forth... and... At the same time I speak thusly: "...I have just [. . . .] from you.

�6
...
...
...
..."...
...
To him... or a girl... She went down to him in his bedchamber, and this child of mortality is one of feces (and) urine. He did not find you.

�7
"Now he has just come down after you as one of his knees. He is continually seeking after you, oh goddess, for your godliness. Whether you are in a mountain, whether you are in a meadow, whether you are in a valley, wherever you actually are, come down to this man for (his) wellbeing! May the winds and the rain not continually strike your eyes!

�8
"He is going to make you his personal deity. He will assign a place for you. He will give you a temple. He will give you a male servant and a female servant. He will give you oxen and sheep. He will make you a recipient of cultic vows.

�9
"I am now repeatedly entreating and calling upon you. Come! Bring with you the moon, the stars, and the Sun Goddess of the Earth! May female and male servants be running before you! May male and female deities be running before you! Come down to this man! You are his wife for children. Look after him yourself! May you continually be turned to him and speak in regard to him. Hand over your maidservant to him and he will become a yoke (for her). May he take his wife to himself! May he make sons and daughters for himself! They will be your male and female servants! They will continually give rituals, thick breads, groats, and libations to you.

�10
"Up to now this man has not known you. Now he has just sought after you. Since this one has sought after you, may you, oh goddess, establish wellbeing for him. In what matter we keep entreating you on earth, oh goddess, reveal your own godliness! Make that (matter) into goodness! May he look up to your godliness, oh goddess (in a dream(?)). He will make you his own personal deity.

�11'
I put the broken thick bread back on top of the soldiers' bread. We go back into the house. In which house I perform the ritual, a new table is placed. I place the soldiers' bread on the table. I place the pitcher down in front.

�12'
What broken thick bread is placed on the soldiers' bread, I take a little. I give (it) to the man, namely the ritual's client. He puts it in his mouth. He drinks the goddess Uliliyašši three times. When it becomes night, the ritual's client will sleep before that same table. They put down a bed before the same table.

�13'
What KUSÎTU-garments or tunics are placed on the soldier's bread, he spreads them out each night. I perform it for three days. On each day, I invoke the words three times: In the morning, once in the middle point of the day, and once in the evening. I speak those very words.

�14'
In the morning I break some thick loaves. In mid-day I break some other thick loaves. In the evening I break some others. I scatter another (portion of) groats.

Col. III

�15'
Then I offer one sheep to the goddess Uliliyašši. They slaughter it down before the table. They carry the sheep forth, they cut it open, and then they butcher(?) it. From the meat [they...], breast, shoulder.... they place it down in front of the table. They cook the liver/intestines, two thick breads... to him on the table...

�16'
he/she strikes/kills...
....
.....
.....
...the goddess Uliliyašši (acc.)
....
.... The moon and the stars...
....
......

�17'
..... of the good (ones)...
...x the gods
..... to the god(dess)
..... he/she ...
... thusly
.....

(Fragment ends.)

�18'
....
....
..... back...
...."You (oh goddess) turn you maidservant over to him. She will become one of the yoke for him! May he take his wife, may he make children! May he make sons and daughters! You, oh goddess, reveal your divinity!

�19'
"May he see your power! He will make you his personal deity. He will make you into a recipient of vows. They again spread out a bed down before the table. What KUSÎTU-garments or cloaks are placed on the soldier's bread, they spread them out, too, down for him."

Col. IV

�20'
The ritual's client goes to sleep. If he sees the goddess on his body in a dream - (if) she goes with him, and (if) she sleeps with him, (then) throughout three days I will entreat the goddess, and what dreams he sees, he will speak them. If the goddess reveals (her) eyes to him, If the goddess sleeps with him,

�21'

then he will make the goddess himself. Further, if a ḫaršiyalli-vessel is good for her, then he will install her into a ḫaršiyalli-vessel. If not, then he will install her into a ḫuwaši-stone, or he will make her into an image. The new table which stood in the invocation, it will become that of only goddess.

�22'
If he does not see [her] on his body - the goddess does not go with him in a dream, I will keep performing the same way.

COMMENTARY

�1 This note is in the text. It is not an addition by the editor. Hoffner has suggested that this is an error for Parnašša.

"sexual potency" = infertitility (ḫaššatar NU.GÁL) or impotence (MUNUS-ni menaḫḫanda UL LÚ-aš )

�6 "feces and urine": These bodily expulsions are given in contrast to semen.

"he did not find you": "you" = the goddess Uliliyašši. The use of -šan in this clause is probably to indicate something more than just finding the goddess, but joining with her as well, which would have meant the restoration of his potency.

�7 "May the winds and the rain not continually strike your eyes!" i.e. may they not hold you back

					Why?
	Ritual of Paskwatti to Remove Sexual Dysfunction Paškwatti's Ritual to Remove Sexual Dysfunction (CTH #406) KUB 9.24 + KUB 7.5 + KUB 7.8 Hoffner, Harry H. Jr., "Paskuwatti's ritual against sexual impotence (CTH 406)", Aula Orientalis 5 (1987) 271-287. TRANSLATION Col. I �1 Thusly Paškwatti, the Arzawan woman (she dwells in Parašša): If sexual potency does not exist in a man, or he is not a man vis-à-vis a woman: �2 I libate (to) the goddess Uliliyašši, and I entreat her for three days. On the first day I do as follows: One soldiers' bread is piled up, and these things are arranged with (it) - three sweet thick breads (of) moist flour (measuring) 1 tarna, figs, raisins, kallaktar (= opium?), parḫwena-grain of the deity, meal, a little of each in turn, a tuft of wool from a yanda-sheep, 1 wine pitcher, a robe or a cloak of that one (namely) the man who is the ritual's client. (These) things are placed (with) the soldiers' bread. �3 A virgin lifts the things. The ritual's client is bathed. He walks behind. [I also] am bathed. We carry [the things] to an uncultivated place in open country. We position (ourselves). (Once) the aforementioned girl has lifted the soldiers' bread, I make gates of reeds. �4 Then I bind them together with red wool and white wool. I place a spindle and a distaff in the hands of the ritual's client. He comes under the gates. As he steps through the gates, I take away the spindle and distaff from him, and I give him a bow and arrows. At the same time I speak thusly: "I just took away womanliness from you and gave manliness back to you! Further, you have thrown away the behavior of a woman from yourself! [You have taken] up for yourself the behavior of a man!" �5 ...forth... and... At the same time I speak thusly: "...I have just [. . . .] from you. �6 ... ... ... ..."... ... To him... or a girl... She went down to him in his bedchamber, and this child of mortality is one of feces (and) urine. He did not find you. �7 "Now he has just come down after you as one of his knees. He is continually seeking after you, oh goddess, for your godliness. Whether you are in a mountain, whether you are in a meadow, whether you are in a valley, wherever you actually are, come down to this man for (his) wellbeing! May the winds and the rain not continually strike your eyes! �8 "He is going to make you his personal deity. He will assign a place for you. He will give you a temple. He will give you a male servant and a female servant. He will give you oxen and sheep. He will make you a recipient of cultic vows. �9 "I am now repeatedly entreating and calling upon you. Come! Bring with you the moon, the stars, and the Sun Goddess of the Earth! May female and male servants be running before you! May male and female deities be running before you! Come down to this man! You are his wife for children. Look after him yourself! May you continually be turned to him and speak in regard to him. Hand over your maidservant to him and he will become a yoke (for her). May he take his wife to himself! May he make sons and daughters for himself! They will be your male and female servants! They will continually give rituals, thick breads, groats, and libations to you. �10 "Up to now this man has not known you. Now he has just sought after you. Since this one has sought after you, may you, oh goddess, establish wellbeing for him. In what matter we keep entreating you on earth, oh goddess, reveal your own godliness! Make that (matter) into goodness! May he look up to your godliness, oh goddess (in a dream(?)). He will make you his own personal deity. �11' I put the broken thick bread back on top of the soldiers' bread. We go back into the house. In which house I perform the ritual, a new table is placed. I place the soldiers' bread on the table. I place the pitcher down in front. �12' What broken thick bread is placed on the soldiers' bread, I take a little. I give (it) to the man, namely the ritual's client. He puts it in his mouth. He drinks the goddess Uliliyašši three times. When it becomes night, the ritual's client will sleep before that same table. They put down a bed before the same table. �13' What KUSÎTU-garments or tunics are placed on the soldier's bread, he spreads them out each night. I perform it for three days. On each day, I invoke the words three times: In the morning, once in the middle point of the day, and once in the evening. I speak those very words. �14' In the morning I break some thick loaves. In mid-day I break some other thick loaves. In the evening I break some others. I scatter another (portion of) groats. Col. III �15' Then I offer one sheep to the goddess Uliliyašši. They slaughter it down before the table. They carry the sheep forth, they cut it open, and then they butcher(?) it. From the meat [they...], breast, shoulder.... they place it down in front of the table. They cook the liver/intestines, two thick breads... to him on the table... �16' he/she strikes/kills... .... ..... ..... ...the goddess Uliliyašši (acc.) .... .... The moon and the stars... .... ...... �17' ..... of the good (ones)... ...x the gods ..... to the god(dess) ..... he/she ... ... thusly ..... (Fragment ends.) �18' .... .... ..... back... ...."You (oh goddess) turn you maidservant over to him. She will become one of the yoke for him! May he take his wife, may he make children! May he make sons and daughters! You, oh goddess, reveal your divinity! �19' "May he see your power! He will make you his personal deity. He will make you into a recipient of vows. They again spread out a bed down before the table. What KUSÎTU-garments or cloaks are placed on the soldier's bread, they spread them out, too, down for him." Col. IV �20' The ritual's client goes to sleep. If he sees the goddess on his body in a dream - (if) she goes with him, and (if) she sleeps with him, (then) throughout three days I will entreat the goddess, and what dreams he sees, he will speak them. If the goddess reveals (her) eyes to him, If the goddess sleeps with him, �21' then he will make the goddess himself. Further, if a ḫaršiyalli-vessel is good for her, then he will install her into a ḫaršiyalli-vessel. If not, then he will install her into a ḫuwaši-stone, or he will make her into an image. The new table which stood in the invocation, it will become that of only goddess. �22' If he does not see [her] on his body - the goddess does not go with him in a dream, I will keep performing the same way. COMMENTARY �1 This note is in the text. It is not an addition by the editor. Hoffner has suggested that this is an error for Parnašša. "sexual potency" = infertitility (ḫaššatar NU.GÁL) or impotence (MUNUS-ni menaḫḫanda UL LÚ-aš ) �6 "feces and urine": These bodily expulsions are given in contrast to semen. "he did not find you": "you" = the goddess Uliliyašši. The use of -šan in this clause is probably to indicate something more than just finding the goddess, but joining with her as well, which would have meant the restoration of his potency. �7 "May the winds and the rain not continually strike your eyes!" i.e. may they not hold you back