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Kushuh (Kušuḫ) Hurrian Moon God

Kushuh (Kušuḫ) is the moon god of the Hurrians, reputed to have oracular powers. He's among the most popular gods of the pantheon, with worship centers in ancient Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia.


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black and white, good looking guy portrait, wavy hair
Hurrian Moon God Kushuh (Kušuḫ) is a popular divinity

Despite his widespread worship he's not given as a patron or tutelary god of any specific town. A divine representation of the moon and oracles, Kushu is also associated with pregnancy and oaths.


His name is often added to given names at the time, thus he would have special meaning to inviduals. Symbolic of creativity, intuition, communication and spiritual awareness, the divine number relating to the moon is 30.


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searching the rocks for a clue
Searching for a clue


 In Mesopotamia his equivalent is Sin (Nanna), god of the Moon. In Ugarit, Syria he corresponds to Yarikh. His Luwian representation is Arma, while in the pantheon of the pre-existing Hattians he's associated with Kašku (Kashku).


Kushuh may appear in a minor role as Umbu, a deity of the moon possibly of Hittite origins. Kushu's wife is Nikkal, a name which comes from Ningal, or "Great Lady" in Sumerian, wife of the Mesopotamian moon god Nanna / Sin.


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beautiful blonde in white dress walking on beach
Nikkal is the wife of the Moon God


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, especially Teshub.


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In the Kumarbi / Teshub conflicts, Kushuh the Moon God is one of the entities allied with Teshub, along with Shimige the Sun God 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. In the 14th century BCE, Hittite prince Piyaššili takes the name Šarri-Kušuḫ or "Kušuḫ is (my) king."


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woman holding the moon in her hands
Moon Glow


The 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 and Frog.


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