The Obituary
The Sun Goddess of Arinna was the supreme deity of the Hittite state, the radiant patron of the royal house and consort of the storm god, called queen of all lands. Hittite kings and queens, including the famous Puduhepa whose prayers survive, invoked her as the divine guarantor of their throne and kingdom. Worshipped at her holy city of Arinna for centuries, her cult was inseparable from the empire it sanctified. When the Hittite empire collapsed around 1180 BCE in the Bronze Age crisis, her temples emptied and the sun-queen was forgotten.
Worth remembering
- Hittite kings and queens prayed to her as the divine guarantor of their throne, calling her the queen of all lands.
- Queen Puduhepa addressed her in surviving prayers as the goddess who had given the royal couple their rule and protection.
Sources
- The Sun Goddess of Arinna was the chief goddess and patron of the Hittite state and royal house, consort of the storm god. Wikipedia
- Hittite queens and kings invoked the Sun Goddess of Arinna as the supreme guarantor of the kingdom and the monarchy. World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.