The Song of Ullikummi
Also known as: Ullikummi, The Song of Ullikummi (Kumarbi Cycle), CTH 345
Kumarbi sires the stone-giant Ullikummi to overthrow the storm-god Teššub. Hidden on the shoulder of the primordial Atlas-figure Upelluri, Ullikummi grows to threaten heaven until Ea obtains an ancient cutting tool to sever him from his base, enabling the gods to defeat him.
Description
A central tale of the Hurrian Kumarbi Cycle preserved in Hittite, this poem narrates a renewed challenge to divine kingship. Kumarbi, former claimant to heaven’s throne, begets a monstrous stone-child, Ullikummi, to topple Teššub. Placed secretly upon the shoulder of Upelluri—the world-bearer who once carried heaven and earth—the giant grows rapidly, impervious to Shaushka’s charms and the gods’ initial efforts. The sun-god’s reconnaissance reveals the threat, prompting Ea’s descent to the Apsu, where he secures the primeval copper saw once used to separate sky and earth. By cutting Ullikummi from his anchorage, Ea deprives him of invincibility and restores the balance of cosmic rule under Teššub. The ending is fragmentary, but the tradition implies Teššub’s survival and the reassertion of divine order.
Historiography
The poem is preserved on fragmentary clay tablets from Hattuša (Boğazköy), copied in Hittite with Hurrian passages; principal witnesses belong to the 13th century BCE. It is catalogued within the Kumarbi Cycle (commonly CTH 345) alongside other succession myths. Reconstruction owes much to collation of overlapping fragments and parallels in Mesopotamian mythic motifs. Modern translations and analyses by Güterbock and Hoffner remain standard points of reference.
Date Notes
Survives in late Hittite copies from Hattuša; reflects earlier Hurrian tradition within the Kumarbi Cycle.
Symbols
Major Characters
- Teshub
- Kumarbi
- Ullikummi
- Ea
- Šauška
Myths
- Kumarbi Fathers the Stone Giant Ullikummi
- Ullikummi’s Rise on Ubelluri’s Shoulder
- Ea Cuts Ullikummi from the Primordial Rock
- Teshub’s Victory Restored
Facts
- The poem belongs to the Hurrian Kumarbi Cycle but survives in Hittite copies from Hattuša.
- Ullikummi is a stone-being whose invulnerability derives from his attachment to Upelluri.
- Upelluri is an Atlas-like figure bearing the separated heaven and earth on his shoulders.
- Šauška (Ishtar) attempts seduction and song to halt Ullikummi but fails.
- Ea secures an ancient copper tool once used to separate heaven and earth.
- The narrative replays Near Eastern succession motifs known from Mesopotamian myths.
- Teššub’s kingship is threatened but ultimately reaffirmed, though the end is fragmentary.
- The work is catalogued by scholars as CTH 345 within Hittite literature.
- Principal tablets date to the 13th century BCE and are written mainly in Hittite with Hurrian elements.
- Modern reconstructions rely on overlapping fragments and parallels within the cycle.