Kushuh (Kušuḫ) is the oracular moon god of the Hurrians. He's among the most popular gods of the pantheon, with worship centers in ancient Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. He represents the male principle of the Moon.
Despite his widespread worship he's not given as a patron or tutelary god of any specific town. He has a vague link to Kuzina, a lost city in upper Mesopotamia. A divine representation of the moon and oracles, Kushuh is also associated with pregnancy and oaths.
His name is often added to given names at the time, thus he has special meaning to individuals. The divine number relating to the moon is 30, symbolic of creativity, intuition, communication and spiritual awareness.
Kushuh represents the male principle of the moon. His associations range from the legendary man in the moon to the spiritual light within. He shines as a guide and protector in the dark of night. In many cultures the Moon has oracular powers and can give divine insight or help.
He's both mystical and practical. While often called upon to reveal hidden wisdom, he's also a dedicated agricultural deity, with lunar phases affecting growth of plants and time of planting.
For instance, lunar planting calendars recommend planting seeds for crops with aboveground yields when the moon is waxing or transitioning from new moon to full moon. Conversely, root crops are best sown during the waning moon's transition from full moon to new.
In Mesopotamia, the equivalent of Kushuh is Sin (Nanna, Suen), a powerful deity. In Ugarit, Syria, he corresponds to Yarikh. His Luwian representation is Arma, while in the pantheon of the pre-existing Hattians he's equated with Kašku (Kashku).
Kushuh may appear in a minor role as Umbu, a deity of the moon possibly of Hittite origins. Kushuh's wife is Nikkal, a name which comes from Ningal, or "Great Lady" in Sumerian, wife of the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.
In Ugarit, she's also wife of local moon god Yarikh. Hurrians negotiate her into the Hittite pantheon. She equates with Goddess Ishara as they're both divine protectors of oaths.
In texts from Ebla she's associated with another lunar deity, Saggar. In Hittite sources she's the mother of the Sun God of Heaven.
In some regions both Teshub (Teššub) and Shaushka are considered to be children of the Moon, though it's rare. Kumarbi is usually attested as their father. He spends much of his time in Hurrian legend trying to kill them, as in the story of Ullikummi and sea monster Hedammu.
In the Kumarbi / Teshub conflicts, Kushuh the Moon God is one of the entities allied with Teshub and the young Gods, including Shimige the Sun God, Shaushka and the warrior god Tashmishu (Tašmišu), brother of Teshub.
At Yazılıkaya, an ancient sanctuary of the Hittite capital Hattusa, a relief carving shows the Moon God Kushuh ahead of the Sun God in a lineup of deities. It's not unusual for the Moon God to be of higher rank than the Sun. Sin, for instance, is father of Sun God Shamash.
In the late Bronze Age, Hittite prince Piyaššili (d. 1315 BCE) takes the name Šarri-Kušuḫ or "Kušuḫ is (my) king." Hurrian influences continue to grow among the Hittites, expedited a few decades later by the priestess Queen Puduhepa.
The popular spiritual meaning of the Moon includes psychic awareness, yin energy, inward searching, reflection, dreams, calm state of mind. The Moon is associated with the element Water and animals of the night such as the cat, owl, wolf and frog.
The Moon is also associated with illness, disease and madness. Disease demons such as Shulpae, who specifically relates to epilepsy, use their powers at the bidding of the Moon. When the Moon is not visible he travels through the Underworld, where the demons reside.
Many vegetation deities also reside in the Underworld or Hittite Dark Earth. Kushuh relates to virtues and benevolence of the Moon. Like the Egyptian moon god Khonsu he represents fertility. He's often invoked by women in childbirth, or at the planting of crops.
He and his wife Nikkal are both linked to the giving and keeping of oaths, their names spoken and written as divine witnesses. In mythology he appears often. One of his well-known myths involves Silver, a son of Kumarbi.
Silver's aspirations drive him to pull the Sun and Moon from the skies. He then threatens to kill them, as they are opponents of his father. However they explain that if he does, he will have to rule in darkness. Foiled again, Silver has no choice but to let them go.
Non-Fiction Books:
Fiction Books:
READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries