Shivini
Shivini or Artinis (the present form of the name is Artin, meaning "sun rising" or to "awake", and persists in Armenian names to this day)[1] was a solar god in the mythology of the Urartu. He is the third god in a triad with Khaldi and Theispas. The Assyrian god Shamash is a counterpart to Shivini. He was depicted as a man on his knees, holding up a solar disc. His wife was most likely a goddess called Tushpuea who is listed as the third goddess on the Mheri-Dur inscription.[2] Shivini is generally considered to be a good god, like the Egyptian solar god, Aten, and unlike the solar god of the Assyrians, Ashur to whom sometimes human sacrifices were made.[3]
Gallery
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Armenian postage stamp, 1993
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Shivini god
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Shivini's bronze caldron
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The caldron's bronze-sculpted handle
References
- ↑ Turner, Patricia and Charles Coulter. Dictionary of Ancient Deities. Oxford Univ. Press US, 2001. pp. 71, 268, 399, 461.
- ↑ Piotrovsky, Boris B. (1969). The Ancient Civilization of Urartu: An Archaeological Adventure. Cowles Book Co. ISBN 0-214-66793-6.
- ↑ Chahin, Mark (1987). The Kingdom of Armenia. Dorset Press. ISBN 0-88029-609-7.