Ishara
Encyclopedia
Ishara is the Hittite
word for "treaty
, binding promise", also personified as a goddess
of the oath
.
In Hurrian and Semitic traditions, Išḫara is a love goddess, often identified with Ishtar
. Her cult was of considerable importance in Ebla
from the mid 3rd millennium, and by the end of the 3rd millennium, she had temples in Nippur
, Sippar
, Kish
, Harbidum
, Larsa
, and Urum
.
texts from the 19th century BC
, and is as such the earliest attestation of a word of any Indo-European language.
The name is from a PIE
root "to bind (also magically)", char in Bulgarian "magical charming", also in Greek "strap" and Old Norse
/ Old High German
"rope". Possibly also cognate is soul
, and Welsh (Irish , from Proto-Celtic "white ghost", from a meaning "enchanted" of the extended root ).
(or ), oblique , the Hittite for "blood
" is probably derived from the same root, maybe from a notion of "bond" between blood-relations (c.f. Sanskrit ). The verb "to bind, fetter", "to oblige" is directly cognate to Sanskrit or Russian with similar meanings.
The Indo-European etymology of the theonym has been called into question , since the goddess appears from as early as the mid 3rd millennium as one of the chief goddesses of Ebla
, and her name appears as an element in theophoric names in Mesopotamia in the later 3rd millennium (Akkad period), and into the first (Assyria), as in Tukulti-apil-esharra (i.e., Tiglath-Pileser
).
Variants of the name appear as Ašḫara (in a treaty of Naram-Sin of Akkad with Hita of Elam) and Ušḫara (in Ugarite texts).
In Ebla, there were various logographic spellings involving the sign AMA "mother". In Alalah, her name was written with the Akkadogram IŠTAR plus a phonetic complement -ra, as IŠTAR-ra.
(see Hittite military oath
). In this context, she came to be seen as a "goddess of medicine" whose pity was invoked in case of illness. There was even a verb, "to be afflicted by the illness of Ishara".
Her astrological embodiment is the constellation Scorpio and she is called the mother of the Sebitti
(the Seven Stars) (Seux, 343). Ishara was well known in Syria from the third millennium B.C. She became a great goddess of the Hurrian population. She was worshipped with Teshub and Simegi at Alakh, and also at Ugarit, Emar and Chagar Bazar. While she was considered to belong to the entourage of Ishtar, she was invoked to heal the sick (Lebrun).
The Hurrian cult of Ishara as a love goddess also spread to Syria. "Ishara first appears in the pre-Sargonic texts from Ebla and then as a goddess of love in Old Akkadian potency-incantations (Biggs). During the Ur III period she had a temple in Drehem and from the Old Babylonian time onwards, there were sanctuaries in Sippar, Larsa, and Harbidum. In Mari she seems to have been very popular and many women were called after her, but she is well attested in personal names in Babylonia generally up to the late Kassite period. Her main epithet was belet rame, lady of love, which was also applied to Ishtar. In the Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet II, col. v.28) it says: 'For Ishara the bed is made' and in Atra-hasis
(I 301-304) she is called upon to bless the couple on the honeymoon."
Hittite language
Hittite is the extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centred on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia...
word for "treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
, binding promise", also personified as a goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of the oath
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
.
In Hurrian and Semitic traditions, Išḫara is a love goddess, often identified with Ishtar
Ishtar
Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
. Her cult was of considerable importance in Ebla
Ebla
Ebla Idlib Governorate, Syria) was an ancient city about southwest of Aleppo. It was an important city-state in two periods, first in the late third millennium BC, then again between 1800 and 1650 BC....
from the mid 3rd millennium, and by the end of the 3rd millennium, she had temples in Nippur
Nippur
Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the Sumerian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the "Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone...
, Sippar
Sippar
Sippar was an ancient Near Eastern city on the east bank of the Euphrates river, located at the site of modern Tell Abu Habbah in Iraq's Babil Governorate, some 60 km north of Babylon and 30 km southeast of Baghdad....
, Kish
Kish (Sumer)
Kish is modern Tell al-Uhaymir , and was an ancient city of Sumer. Kish is located some 12 km east of Babylon, and 80 km south of Baghdad ....
, Harbidum
Harbidum
Ḫarbidum is the name of a minor city of Sumer, located near Kish, at the Irnina canal . The city contained a temple dedicated to Ishara....
, Larsa
Larsa
Larsa was an important city of ancient Sumer, the center of the cult of the sun god Utu. It lies some 25 km southeast of Uruk in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate, near the east bank of the Shatt-en-Nil canal at the site of the modern settlement Tell as-Senkereh or Sankarah.-History:According to...
, and Urum
Tell Uqair
Tell Uqair is a tell or settlement mound northeast of Babylon and about south of Baghdad in modern Babil Governorate, Iraq.-History:...
.
Etymology
The word is attested as a loanword in the Assyrian KültepeKültepe
Kültepe is a modern village near the ancient city of Kaneš or Kanesh , located in the Kayseri Province of Turkey's Central Anatolia Region...
texts from the 19th century BC
19th century BC
-Events:* Hittite empire in Hattusa, Anatolia.* 1900 BC: Proto-Greek invasions of Greece.* c. 1900 BC: Minoan Old Palace period starts in Crete.* c. 1900 BC: Fall of last Sumerian dynasty....
, and is as such the earliest attestation of a word of any Indo-European language.
The name is from a PIE
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
root "to bind (also magically)", char in Bulgarian "magical charming", also in Greek "strap" and Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
/ Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
"rope". Possibly also cognate is soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
, and Welsh (Irish , from Proto-Celtic "white ghost", from a meaning "enchanted" of the extended root ).
(or ), oblique , the Hittite for "blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
" is probably derived from the same root, maybe from a notion of "bond" between blood-relations (c.f. Sanskrit ). The verb "to bind, fetter", "to oblige" is directly cognate to Sanskrit or Russian with similar meanings.
The Indo-European etymology of the theonym has been called into question , since the goddess appears from as early as the mid 3rd millennium as one of the chief goddesses of Ebla
Ebla
Ebla Idlib Governorate, Syria) was an ancient city about southwest of Aleppo. It was an important city-state in two periods, first in the late third millennium BC, then again between 1800 and 1650 BC....
, and her name appears as an element in theophoric names in Mesopotamia in the later 3rd millennium (Akkad period), and into the first (Assyria), as in Tukulti-apil-esharra (i.e., Tiglath-Pileser
Tiglath-Pileser
Tiglath-Pileser may refer to:*Tiglath-Pileser I, king of Assyria from 1115 to 1077 BC*Tiglath-Pileser II, king of Assyria from 967 to 935 BC*Tiglath-Pileser III, or Tiglath-Pileser IV, king of Assyria from 745 to 727 BC...
).
Variants of the name appear as Ašḫara (in a treaty of Naram-Sin of Akkad with Hita of Elam) and Ušḫara (in Ugarite texts).
In Ebla, there were various logographic spellings involving the sign AMA "mother". In Alalah, her name was written with the Akkadogram IŠTAR plus a phonetic complement -ra, as IŠTAR-ra.
Hittite goddess
As a goddess, Ishara could inflict severe bodily penalties to oathbreakers, in particular ascitesAscites
Ascites is a gastroenterological term for an accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity.The medical condition is also known as peritoneal cavity fluid, peritoneal fluid excess, hydroperitoneum or more archaically as abdominal dropsy. Although most commonly due to cirrhosis and severe liver...
(see Hittite military oath
Hittite military oath
The Hittite military oath is a Hittite text on two cuneiform tablets.The first tablet is only preserved in fragments , the second tablet survives in three copies, and can be restituted almost completely. The oldest copy is fragmentary, but two younger copies are well preserved...
). In this context, she came to be seen as a "goddess of medicine" whose pity was invoked in case of illness. There was even a verb, "to be afflicted by the illness of Ishara".
Hurrian and Syrian goddess
Ishara was also worshipped within the Hurrian pantheon. She was associated with the underworld.Her astrological embodiment is the constellation Scorpio and she is called the mother of the Sebitti
Sebitti
The Sebitti are a group of seven minor war gods in Babylonian and Akkadian tradition. They are the children of the god Anu and follow the god Erra into battle. They are, in differing traditions, of good and evil influence....
(the Seven Stars) (Seux, 343). Ishara was well known in Syria from the third millennium B.C. She became a great goddess of the Hurrian population. She was worshipped with Teshub and Simegi at Alakh, and also at Ugarit, Emar and Chagar Bazar. While she was considered to belong to the entourage of Ishtar, she was invoked to heal the sick (Lebrun).
The Hurrian cult of Ishara as a love goddess also spread to Syria. "Ishara first appears in the pre-Sargonic texts from Ebla and then as a goddess of love in Old Akkadian potency-incantations (Biggs). During the Ur III period she had a temple in Drehem and from the Old Babylonian time onwards, there were sanctuaries in Sippar, Larsa, and Harbidum. In Mari she seems to have been very popular and many women were called after her, but she is well attested in personal names in Babylonia generally up to the late Kassite period. Her main epithet was belet rame, lady of love, which was also applied to Ishtar. In the Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet II, col. v.28) it says: 'For Ishara the bed is made' and in Atra-hasis
Atra-Hasis
The 18th century BCE Akkadian epic of Atra-Hasis is named after its protagonist. An "Atra-Hasis" appears on one of the Sumerian king lists as king of Shuruppak in the times before the flood. The Atra-Hasis tablets include both a creation myth and a flood account, which is one of three surviving...
(I 301-304) she is called upon to bless the couple on the honeymoon."