Šauška

Lore & Background

Šauška was the tutelary goddess of Nineveh, often called 'queen' of that city in Hurrian myths. She appears in myths as an ally of her brother Teshub or as a heroine, battling the sea monster Ḫedammu, the diorite giant Ullikummi, the sea god Kiaše, and the mountain god Pišaišapḫi. She also protected the personified olive tree Hašarri from threats. Her handmaidens Ninatta and Kulitta accompanied her in both cult and myth.

Šauška had both feminine and masculine aspects; in reliefs at Yazılıkaya she appears twice—once among the gods (masculine, beardless, with pointed headwear) and once among goddesses (now missing). A Hurrian ritual text mentions offerings to her 'male attributes' and 'female attributes.' She was believed to be able to turn men into women and women into men, especially in contexts of infertility.

Reader's Guide

Šauška's significance lies in her role as the supreme goddess of the Hurrian pantheon, a position that allowed her to be syncretized with Mesopotamian Ishtar and later adopted into Hittite religion. Her dual gender nature—both feminine and masculine—is a distinctive feature, reflected in art and ritual. She was not an astral deity like Ishtar; that role was filled by Pinikir. Her worship spanned a vast geographic area, from Anatolia to southern Mesopotamia, and she was introduced into southern Mesopotamia during the Ur III period. The uncertainty about her exact relationship with Assyrian Ishtar of Nineveh, as noted by scholars, highlights the complexity of ancient religious syncretism. Her legacy endures through Hittite translations of Hurrian myths and the visual record at sites like Yazılıkaya and Malatya.

Did You Know?

• Šauška's name can be translated as 'The Great One' or 'The Magnificent One.'
• She appears twice in the Yazılıkaya reliefs, once among male deities and once among female deities.
• A Hittite text describes a masculine depiction of Šauška as winged and armed with a golden ax.