Arinna was the major cult center of the Hittite sun-goddess known as ^dUTU ^URU''Arinna'' or " Sun-Goddess of Arinna", who is also sometimes identified as ''Arinniti'' or as ''Wuru(n)šemu''. Arinna was located near

Hattusa Hattusa (also Ḫattuša or Hattusas ; Hittite: URU''Ḫa-at-tu-ša'', Turkish: Hattuşaş , Hattic: Hattush) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of ...

, the Hittite capital. The Sun-Goddess of Arinna is the most important one of three important solar deities of the Hittite pantheon, besides ^dUTU ''nepisas'' 'the sun of the sky' and ^dUTU ''taknas'' 'the sun of the earth'. She was considered to be the chief deity in some sources, in place of her husband. Her consort was the Storm-God; they and their children were all derived from the former Hattic pantheon. The goddess was also perceived to be a paramount

chthonic The word chthonic (), or chthonian, is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''χθών, "khthon"'', meaning earth or soil. It translates more directly from χθόνιος or "in, under, or beneath the earth" which can be differentiated from Γῆ ...

or earth goddess. She becomes largely syncretised with the

Hurri The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Norther ...

an goddess Hebat, as the Hittite Storm-God was with

Teshub Teshub (also written Teshup, Teššup, or Tešup; cuneiform ; hieroglyphic Luwian , read as ''Tarhunzas'';Annick Payne (2014), ''Hieroglyphic Luwian: An Introduction with Original Texts'', 3rd revised edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, p. ...

. In the late 14th century BC, King Mursili II was particularly devoted to the Sun-Goddess of Arinna.

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Literature

Hans G. Güterbock Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

, ''An Addition to the Prayer of Muršili to the Sungoddess and Its Implications'', Anatolian Studies (1980). Earth goddesses Hittite deities Solar goddesses {{MEast-myth-stub

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Literature