Earth and Heaven (Hurrian religion)
Hurrian and Mesopotamian cosmogonic figures
Earth and Heaven (Eše Hawurni) were worshiped by various Hurrian communities in the Ancient Near East. While considered to be a part of the Hurrian pantheon, they were not envisioned as personified deities. They were also incorporated into the Mesopotamian pantheon, possibly during the period of Mitanni influence over part of Mesopotamia, and under the names Hahharnum and Hayyashum appear in a variety of texts, including the myth Theogony of Dunnu.
Earth and Heaven in Hurrian religion
The Hurrian term referring to the concept of a divine Earth and Heaven was eše hawurni. The deified Earth appears alongside the deified Heaven as a pair. According to Piotr Taracha, the Earth-Heaven pair should be considered "pan-Hurrian," similar to Teshub, Šauška, Kumarbi, Šimige and Kušuḫ, and as such can be found in religious texts from all areas inhabited by Hurrians, from Kizzuwatna in modern Turkey to the Zagros Mountains. However, they were not regarded as personified deities. In offering lists, they typically appear at the very end, alongside mountains, rivers, springs, the sea (Kiaše), winds and clouds. They are also present in incantations. It has been argued that figures number 28 and 29 from the Yazılıkaya reliefs, a pair of bull-men, are holding a symbol of Heaven and standing on a symbol of Earth.
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