Illuyanka: A Hittite Story

Ancient clay tablets, unearthed in Anatolia by archaeologists, have revealed the tales of the Gods of these mighty people who dwelt more than three millennia ago, between 1650 and 1180 before the common era. The Hittites cherished the telling of tales during rituals and holy feasts, to unveil the origins of their customs. Behold some of these myths, whose beginnings fade into the mists of yore, through their very own words, inscribed upon the tablets: the myth of the dragon, that of the vanished God, and the tale of his daughter. Through these sacred narratives, the Hittites honored their Gods, making offerings and reenacting the struggles between divine beings, beasts, and mortals. Every…