Hannahanna / Hannahannas
Hannahanna/ Hannahannas (Hittite) Hannahanna is the Hittite mother of the gods.
This temperamental matriarch helped to settle domestic issues. She mended a rift between the storm god, Teshub, and his son, Telepinu. When the adolescent stormed off in a fit of rage, Teshub complained to Hannahanna. The goddess sent Teshub to search for his son. When the father was unsuccessful, Hannahanna directed one of her bees to sting Telepinu awake so that he would return home.
Hannahanna also had her own fit of anger and disappeared for a time. While she was gone, cattle and sheep bore no young, and both human and animal mothers ignored their children. It was only when Hannahanna’s anger was sent to the so-called Dark Earth that she returned in joy and all was normal again.
Hannahanna also made sure that marital affairs ran smoothly. When the daughter of the sea god married Telepinu, it was Hannahanna who told Teshub to pay the sea god the bride price, making the marriage official.
Written by : Ira Spar
SEE ALSO:
- Hittite Mythology
- Middle Eastern Mythology
- Mother Goddess/Earth Mother.
Sources
- Gurney, O.R. The Hittites. Rev. ed. New York: Penguin, 1990.
- Hoffner, Harry A. Hittite Myths. 2nd ed. Atlanta, GA: Scholars, 1991.
- Hooke, S.H. Middle Eastern Mythology. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2004.
SOURCE:
Storytelling: an encyclopedia of mythology and folklore – Edited by : Josepha Sherman – © 2008 by M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
