| Šauška | |
|---|---|
| Goddess of war and fertility |
Šauška or Shaushka (Hittite: Šauša, & later Šawuška[1]) was a Hurrian goddess who was also adopted into the Hittite pantheon. She is known in detail because she became the patron goddess of the Hittite king Hattusili III (1420–1400 BC) following his marriage to Puduhepa, the daughter of the goddess's high priest. Her cultic center was Lawazantiya in Kizzuwatna.[2]
Shaushka is a goddess of fertility, war and healing. She is depicted in human form with wings, standing with a lion and accompanied by two attendants. She was considered equivalent to the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar and is sometimes identified using Ishtar's name in Hittite cuneiform.[3]
Contents |
In the 1350-1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence, (written mostly to the Ancient Egyptian pharaoh), one letter EA 23, (EA for 'el Amarna'), written to the pharaoh, has as its topic, the Loaning of a Statue to Egypt. It is presumed that it's due to the health of the Egyptian king, but there are other theories or explanations.
The title of the letter is: "A goddess travels to Egypt".
It is a short, 32-line letter, from Tushratta, (letter no. 7 of 13), and the 2nd half of the letter states:
Black Egyptian script is also written on the reverse side of this letter, (in the open space remaining).