Kušuḫ

Did You Know?

• A possible artistic portrayal of Kušuḫ has been identified on the golden bowl of Hasanlu, showing a moon god traveling in a chariot drawn by mules.
• Kušuḫ is depicted in the Yazılıkaya sanctuary as winged, with a pointed cap adorned with a lunar crescent.
• Ugaritic texts refer to Kušuḫ as the 'king of the (oracular) decisions', marking him as a deity associated with oracles.

Name

The primary name of the Hurrian moon god was Kušuḫ, written dKu-uš-uḫ in cuneiform. Modern publications conventionally leave disputed consonants unvoiced. An alternate spelling, Kušaḫ, appears in Alalakh and occasionally in texts from Hattusa. The form Ušu is also known, though its location is not specified. In Ugaritic alphabetic script, the name appears as kḏġ and kzġ, vocalized as Kuḏuġ and Kuzuġ. The name could also be represented by the logograms d30 and dEN.ZU, like the Mesopotamian moon god Sin, and combined forms such as d30-uḫ and dEN.ZU-uḫ are attested. It has been proposed that Kušuḫ's name derives from the toponym Kuzina, possibly the Hurrian name of Harran, but this etymology is uncertain. In a treaty between Šuppiluliuma I and Šattiwaza, Kušuḫ and the moon god of Harran appear as separate deities. Kuzina is only known from a single attestation in the Tale of Appu, whose Hurrian origin is disputed. A secondary name, Umbu (also spelled Umpu, Umpa, and Umpi), may have originated in Syria or southern Anatolia or may have Hurrian roots; it might represent a specific manifestation of Kušuḫ, perhaps the full moon.

Associations with other deities

Kušuḫ's wife was Nikkal, derived from the Mesopotamian goddess Ningal. Umbu also appears alongside Nikkal in Hurrian texts. Kušuḫ was associated with Ishara due to their shared role as divine protectors of oaths. A single passage labels Teššub as a son of Kušuḫ, but this is isolated. In a tradition likely influenced by Mesopotamian views, Šauška was regarded as the daughter of the moon god. The god Tapšuwari may have been regarded as the sukkal (attendant deity) of Kušuḫ, though attestations are limited. Kušuḫ was regarded as the Hurrian counterpart of Mesopotamian Sin and, in Ugarit, as analogous to Yarikh. In the ritual KTU3 1.111, Kušuḫ and Yarikh appear together and receive separate offerings. The Luwian moon god Arma was heavily influenced by Kušuḫ, and came to be portrayed identically, with a pointed cap, crescent symbol, and wings.

Worship

Kušuḫ was a high-ranking, commonly worshiped god, regarded as one of the pan-Hurrian deities, present in all areas where Hurrian was used. He appears in theophoric names from both eastern and western Hurrian cities, such as Eḫlip-Kušuḫ, Arip-Kušuḫ, and Ḫazip-Kušuḫ. Names with Umbu as a theophoric element, like Mut-Umpi and Arip-Umpi, are also known. There is no indication that Kušuḫ was strongly associated with any specific city. A double temple dedicated to him and Teššub existed in Šuriniwe in Arrapha. He was a principal deity in the state pantheon of Mitanni and appears right behind Teššub in the treaty between Šuppiluliuma I and Šattiwaza. In western Hurrian offering lists, he appears as a member of the kaluti of Teššub. His worship is well attested in Hurrian documents from Ugarit, where he appears between Kumarbi and Iya in offering lists, and could be worshiped alongside Yarikh.

Mythology

Kušuḫ appears in Hurrian myths but does not provide much information about his individual character. In the Kumarbi Cycle, he belongs to the group of allies of the weather god Teššub. In the Song of Silver, the antagonist Silver brings Kušuḫ and the sun god Šimige down from heaven and intends to kill them; they bow and ask to be released, arguing that otherwise Silver will rule in darkness. In the Song of Ullikummi, Kumarbi hides the stone monster where Kušuḫ and other allies of Teššub cannot find him. Kušuḫ also plays a role in the tale of Kešši. The Ugaritic myth about the marriage of Yarikh and Nikkal may have had Hurrian origin, with Kušuḫ possibly as the protagonist in an earlier version, though researchers disagree whether it was a direct translation or an adaptation.