Basic Information
Alternative spelling: Illujanka
Type/Species: Great Serpent
Slayer: The Storm God, either Teshub or Taru
Origin: Hittite Mythology, [1] Hittite-Hurrian Mythology [3]
About Illuyankas
Illuyankas was the monstrous dragon of the Hittite myth, [3] sometimes described as a serpent-demon. [4] He was the perennial enemy of the storm deity, [3] or weather-god, [4] called Taru by the Hittites and [1] Teshub by the Hurrians. [5]
The dragon-slaying myth of Illyuankas started in ancient Mesopotamia in the mythology of the Hittites. [6] The story likely informed later myths, including the Canaanite myth of Baal and Leviathan and the Greek myth of Zeus and Typhon. [4] Illuyankas was the equivalent of Tiamat of Babylonian mythology. [1]
In all variations of the Illuyankas-slaying myth, the storm god acquired aid to defeat the dragon. In some cases, the assistance came from his daughter Inara and a mortal man named Hupasiyas. [2] In other versions, the deity's son provided the help. [6]
The Downfall of Illuyankas by the Feast
Illuyankas defeated the storm god in battle at Kiskilussa, [3] and he nearly overcame the storm deity completely, putting all of creation at risk. So the weather god sought the aid of humanity and the other gods, [5] who agreed because Illuyankas was a constant threat to everything. [3]
Inara, on the instructions of her father, provided a grand feast with an abundance of alcohol, [3] with a constantly replenishing fare. [6] She found a mortal hero, named Hupasiyas, [3] to trick the dragon, [6] and he agreed to help her so long as he could become the goddess's lover. [3] She then hid Hupasiyas and went to the serpent's lair to entice Illuyankas to join the feast she prepared. [3]
Illuyankas and his family proceed to the feast, [3] and they become so bloated and drunk in celebration [6] that Hupasiyas alone was able to bind the entire family of dragons. [5] Then the storm god himself appeared and slaughtered them, [3] and scattered their remains all over the earth, [6] preserving all of creation for another year. [3]
The Downfall of Illuyankas by Dowry
Another variation on the Illuyankas cycle began with the dragon conquering the storm deity and stealing his heart and eyes. [3] Alternatively, the threat to the creation was presented through Illuyankas encircling all the deities in his vast coils to swallow their eyes and hearts, rendering the entire pantheon powerless. [6]
The weakened weather deity married a woman of the lower classes, and together they had a son, [3] who succeeded in retrieving his father's eyes and restoring him. [5] The son took the daughter of Illuyankas as his lover, [6] and either married her then asked for the missing heart and eyes as a dowry [3] or persuaded her to retrieve the eyes and hearts of the entire pantheon. [6]
As soon as the gods became complete again, [3] the battle restarted. [6] The storm deity ascended in the sky to attack the chaotic dragon of the sea, [3] and Illuyankas was destroyed. [6] In some variations, the weather god's son announced his loyalty to his father-in-law Illuyankas, which brought down his father's wrath and leads to the son's death. [3]
The Festival of the New Year
People recited the tale of the battle between Illuyankas and the storm god at the Feast of the New Year, purulli. [4] In some variations of the Illuyankas myth, the storm deity called for the feast of purulli after his initial defeat to honor of the prosperity of the people and the fertility of the land. [3]
Teshub or Taru the storm deity represented the time of crops and harvest, while Illuyankas was the serpent of the wintertime. [5] Thus, each new year began with the destruction of Illuyankas, or the end of winter. [4]
Physical Description
Illuyankas was a gigantic serpent, [7] a dragon of chaos, represented as a vast serpentine monster with multiple heads. [6]
Quick Facts
- Initially, Illuyankas defeated the storm god in battle at Kiskilussa. [3]
- He either stole the eyes and heart of the storm deity, [3] or nearly overcame the god entirely. [5]
- Illuyankas and his family proceed to Inara's feast, [3] and they become so bloated and drunk in celebration [6] that Hupasiyas alone was able to bind the entire family of dragons. [5]
- The son of the storm god took the daughter of Illuyankas as his lover, [6] in order to restore his father's eyes and heart. [3,6]
- People recited the tale of the battle between Illuyankas and the storm god at the Feast of the New Year, purulli. [4]
Related Articles
Footnotes
- Cotterell 208
- Cotterell 209
- Leeming 194
- Lurker 164
- National Geographic [Essential] 51
- Rose [Dragons] 189
- Turner 234
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
