Ullikummi

GiantIraq · West AsiaMythFear 9/10

Description

A giant from the folklore of Iraq. In Hurrian mythology, Ullikummi is a giant stone monster, son of Kumarbi and the sea god's…

Origin & Background

In Hurrian mythology, Ullikummi is a giant stone monster born from Kumarbi and the daughter of the sea god Sertapsuruhi, or the son of the female cliff. The language of the surviving literature is Hittite, and fragments of the Hurrian Ullikummi hymn have been found in cuneiform texts discovered at Bogaskoy. This hymn has been recognized as a precursor to Hesiod's Greek mythology, and Burkert explained the similarities with the Greek myth of Typhon, the ancient adversary of Zeus.

The Legend

The story of Ullikummi is an episode in the epic cycle concerning the god Kumarbi, who sought to replace the weather god Teshub and destroy the city of Kummiya. To do this, Kumarbi gave birth to the genderless, earless, and eyeless, yet sentient volcanic rock monster Ullikummi from a rocky cliff. Ullikummi was hidden in the underworld and placed on the shoulders of Upelluri. Upelluri was absorbed in meditation and did not sense Ullikummi's presence. Ullikummi grew rapidly and reached the sky, and his brother Teshub brought thunder and rain upon Ullikummi, but could not harm him. Eventually, Teshub fled and abandoned his throne, seeking help from Ea. Ea visited Upelluri and cut off Ullikummi's feet, toppling him.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Ullikummi" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia