The God Tatta Reconsidered

In his epochal study of Hittite divine names, Emmanuel Laroche said thatTatta was a “Luwian name of the storm god” (Laroche 1946-1947: 89-90; see also Laroche 1966: no. 138 s.v. Armadatta). The opinion still stands in topic literature (e.g., Popko 1995: 92; Lebrun 2010: 172), but a two-day spring festival celebrated by the crown prince in Durmitta (CTH 647.II-III), (Taracha 2017) has supplied further, if not decisive, arguments in favor of Tatta being a Mountain-god (see already Haas 1994: 482, 581).1 The festival texts contribute new data on the cult of Tatta, providing evidence of his link with Durmitta. The festivities of the second day took place in the temple of Tatta. He had his own SANGA-priest, though the offerings were made by the SANGA-priest of the Heptad