Kingship in Heaven
Also known as: Song of Kingship in Heaven, Kumarbi Cycle — Kingship in Heaven, Hurrian-Hittite Theogony, Hittite Theogony
A Hurrian succession myth preserved in Hittite, recounting the overthrows of Alalu by Anu and Anu by Kumarbi, whose swallowing of Anu’s genitals engenders Teshub, the storm god destined to claim heavenly kingship.
Description
“Kingship in Heaven” narrates a divine succession: Alalu rules first, then is deposed by Anu. Kumarbi topples Anu, biting off and swallowing his genitals, thereby becoming pregnant with powerful deities, including the storm god Teshub. The poem dwells on the perilous transfer of cosmic sovereignty and the paradox of creative violence, as Kumarbi’s act simultaneously usurps and begets. Though fragmentary, the narrative signals Teshub’s emergence as rightful king, prefiguring his later conflicts and consolidation of power. The text survives in Hittite copies rich with Hurrian names and formulas, situating the myth at the crossroads of Anatolian and Mesopotamian traditions.
Historiography
Known from fragmentary clay tablets found at Boğazköy-Hattusa, the text belongs to the Hurrian Kumarbi Cycle transmitted in Hittite. Modern editions collate multiple fragments and restorations; the Hurrian original is lost. Scholars compare its succession pattern and castration motif to Hesiod’s “Theogony,” suggesting shared Near Eastern narrative models and cross-cultural adaptation.
Date Notes
Hurrian myth preserved in Hittite copies from Hattusa; commonly cataloged as CTH 344.
Major Characters
- Alalu
- Anu
- Kumarbi
- Teshub
- Ea
Myths
- Alalu’s Overthrow
- Kumarbi’s Usurpation of Anu
- Birth and Ascent of Teshub
- Teshub’s Claim to Kingship
Facts
- Also cited as CTH 344 within the Hittite catalog of texts.
- Survives in fragmentary tablets from Boğazköy-Hattusa, copied in Hittite with Hurrian elements.
- Central episode features Kumarbi biting off and swallowing Anu’s genitals, engendering Teshub and other beings.
- Aranzah (the Tigris River) is personified among the beings born from Kumarbi.
- Forms part of the broader Hurrian Kumarbi Cycle alongside poems like the Song of Ullikummi.
- Shows close thematic parallels to Greek succession myths, notably Hesiod’s Theogony.
- Genre is a narrative ‘song’ (epic-style myth) rather than a ritual hymn.
- Likely composed in a Hurrian milieu; extant witnesses are Hittite copies dating to the Late Bronze Age.