trqqas, the storm god

urn:cite2:trmilli:divinities.v1:div_02

The god trqqas (𐊗𐊕𐊌𐊌𐊀𐊖) appears in multiple inscriptions throughout Lycia. He is usually found as a disciplanry agent, but other texts—like the Xanthos Stele—hint at his cultic functions.

trqqas’s role as a strom-god can only be infered from his connection to the Luwian predecessor tarhunt. In fact, the root of name trqqas, trqqNt- (𐊗𐊕𐊌𐊌𐊑𐊗-), is a direct cognate with tarhunt. This deity held a prominent role in the state cults of the the Luwians, often being invoked to seal treaties and protect protect the king.¹ The Luwians gave tarhunt the epithet “pihas “shining, lightning”, idetifying tarhunt—and perhaps ultimately trqqas—as a storm-god. tarhunt is often depicted as a powerful but benevolent deity. Moreover, Luwian epithets like “warrahitassas” (“helping god”) indicate that tarhunt was called upon for the benefit of the luwian state,² and several hieroglyphic inscriptions associate tarhunt as a protector of vinyards and fields.³ Similarly, trqqas is often invoked in sepuchral inscriptions to aid the deceased by punishing tomb-violators.

A further connection between trqqas and tarhunt is in their association with the Lycian/Luwian goddess maliya. A middle Hittite ritual invokes both and maliya in order to protect the royal vinyard.⁴ Similarly, the Xanthos Stele (TL 44) and two other Lycian inscriptions (TL 26 and TL 80) invoke trqqas alongside maliya, suggesting that the Luwian/Hittite connection passed into Lycian cultic functions as well.

During the Hellenistic period, the cults of trqqas transformed into cults dedicated to Zeus, whom some scholars aregue was just trqqas renamed.⁵ The evidence for this largely comes from two passages on the the Xanthos Stele:

TL 44b.62	TL 44c.30
se dde towetE : komeziya : Tere Tere : trqqNti* pddAtahi*	Zηνί δὲ πλεῖστα τροπαῖα βροτῶν ἔστησεν ἁπαντῶν.
“and he has set up altars to the local trqqas thoughout the sanctuaries.”⁶	“he set up the most trophies to Zeus of all mortals”

Though not identical, the similar structures suggest a connection between the Greek and Lycian deities. Furthermore, other scholars like Houwink ten Cate equate the cult of Zeus Solymeus in eastern Lycia with the cult of trqqas.⁷ Complicating matters, however, is the Lycian name “zeosi” (𐊈𐊁𐊒𐊖𐊆) which appears on the Xanthos Stele as well. Melchert sees this word a Lycian derivaton of “Zeus,” which raises the question of why the Lycians would have both a Lycianized word for Zeus alongside a native equivalent.⁸ Whichever the case, there’s a clear connection between the functions of trqqas and Zeus in the Lycian “pantheon.”

Although the Lycian inscriptions don’t provide a comprehensive picture of trqqas as a deity, it seems clear that the Lycians held him in high regard. He is the second most frequent divinity in the corpus as it stands, and, based on the content of the Xanthos Stele, had a widespread cult in several sanctuaries.

Notes:

¹ Hutter (2003) 221
² ibid 222
³ ibid 224
⁴ KUB 43.23 and Hutter (2003) 231
⁵ Keen (1998) 201
⁶ Laroche (1980) 3
⁷ Bryce (1986) 117
⁸ Melchert (2003) 88

Sources:

Bryce, Trevor R. “Disciplinary Agents in the Sepulchral Inscriptions of Lycia.” Anatolian Studies, vol. 31, 1981, pp. 81–93.

Bryce, Trevor R. The Lycians in Literary and Epigraphic Sources, vol. 1, Museum Tusculanum Press, Copenhagen, 1986.

Hutter, Manfred. “Aspects in Luwian Religion.” The Luwians, edited by Craig Melchert in Handbook of Oriental Studies vol. 68, Brill, Leiden, 2003. pp. 211–280.

Laroche, E. “Les dieux de la Lycie classique d’apres les textes lyciens.” Metzger. 1980a. 1-6

Keen, Antony G. Dynastic Lycia: A Political History of the Lycians and their Relations with Foreign Powers C. 545-326 B.C..Mnemosyne, Supplements, Vol. 178, Brill, Leiden. 1998.

trqqas, the storm god

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