Song of Hedammu
Also known as: The Song of Hedammu, Hedammu, Kumarbi Cycle — Hedammu
Kumarbi begets the sea-monster Hedammu to overthrow the storm-god Teshub. The goddess Shaushka neutralizes the threat by seducing and intoxicating the monster, averting disaster for the divine order.
Description
The Song of Hedammu is a fragmentary Hurrian myth, transmitted in Hittite copies, that narrates a renewed attempt by Kumarbi to unseat the storm-god Teshub. Conspiring with the personified Sea, Kumarbi engenders Hedammu, a ravenous sea-serpent whose emergence threatens coastlands and divine stability. As Hedammu grows uncontrollable, Shaushka (Ishtar), adorned with finery and accompanied by attendants, confronts him with music, allure, and drink. Through seduction and intoxication she renders the monster harmless, allowing Teshub’s kingship to endure and the cosmic order to be restored. The tale belongs to the Kumarbi Cycle and shares motifs and actors with related songs such as the Song of Kumarbi and the Song of Ullikummi.
Historiography
Known from Hittite archives at Hattusa, the text survives in damaged tablets with Hurrian and Hittite elements, requiring scholarly reconstruction of narrative gaps. It is often situated within the Kumarbi Cycle alongside succession and monster-combat myths. Key editions and studies by Güterbock and Hoffner established standard readings and contextualized the role of Shaushka’s seduction motif. The transmission reflects Hurrian mythopoesis adapted for Hittite court and cultic settings.
Date Notes
Hurrian myth preserved on Hittite tablets from Hattusa; composition predates extant copies and belongs to the Kumarbi Cycle.
Major Characters
- Hedammu
- Kumarbi
- Ishtar
- Teshub
Myths
- Teshub versus the Sea Monster Hedammu
- Ishtar’s Seduction of Hedammu
Facts
- The work is part of the Kumarbi Cycle, a group of Hurrian myths about divine succession and conflict.
- Hedammu is portrayed as a sea-serpent or dragon born from Kumarbi’s union with the personified Sea.
- The narrative survives in fragmentary Hittite copies from the Hattusa archives.
- Shaushka (Ishtar) overcomes Hedammu through seduction, music, and drink rather than open combat.
- The text likely reflects Hurrian traditions adapted into Hittite literary and ritual contexts.
- Teshub’s kingship is threatened indirectly by Kumarbi’s monster rather than direct confrontation.
- Attendants Ninatta and Kulitta commonly accompany Shaushka in related Hurrian-Hittite myths.
- Scholars connect this tale thematically with the later Song of Ullikummi, another monster-threat in the cycle.