Šulinkatte

In the local tradition of Nerik, Šulinkatte and the sun goddess of the Earth were regarded as the parents of the weather god of Nerik.^[8] A deity named Šulinkattainu, whose name is a combination of the theonym Šulinkatte and a Hattic diminutive suffix, is also known, and might also plausibly be his child.^[9] Volkert Haas suggested he should be identified with Taru, who he presumed was identical with the god from Nerik.^[10] This view is supported by other Hittitologists as well.^[2]

In incantations, Šulinkatte could appear in association with Kataḫzipuri, the Hattian goddess of magic.^[11]

Oldest known attestations of Šulinkatte, such as the text CTH 516.B, come from the fifteenth or fourteenth century BCE.^[2] His main cult center was the sparsely attested city Tamarmara, located in central Anatolia.^[2] The aforementioned text is a ritual focused on him originating in this city, attributed to the priest Tarḫini.^[6] He had two festivals in this city as well, one in the beginning of the year and another in fall.^[2]

Šulinkatte's cult had a supraregional character.^[12] He was worshiped in Hattusa.^[13] During the AN.TAḪ.ŠUM [de] festival, a celebration focused on him took place in the shrine of a deity designated by the sumerogram DINGIR.MAḪ.^[14] In the text KUB 44.23, he takes the place of Zilipuri, another Hattian god whose name could be written with the logogram ^dU.GUR.^[3] According to Manfred Hutter, a degree of overlay between these two gods only begins in the thirteenth century BCE.^[2] He was also worshiped in Karaḫna [de], a city located in the proximity of the middle run of Zuliya, identified as the modern Çekerek River.^[15] In Ḫanḫana and Kašḫa Šulinkatte was one of the twelve deities who were represented in the form of a ḫuwaši stele during a festival dedicated to Telipinu.^[16] He also appears in a similar listing connected to a ceremony from Zalpa.^[17]

A line from a praise song attributed the "women of Nerik" dedicated to Šulinkatte, written in Hattic, is also known, though only a few words can be translated with certainty, including katte ("king"), izzi ("auspicious") and karam ("wine").^[18]

• Archi, Alfonso (2013). "The Anatolian Fate-Goddesses and their Different Traditions". Diversity and Standardization. De Gruyter. pp. 1–26. doi:10.1524/9783050057576.1. ISBN 978-3-05-005756-9.
• Haas, Volkert (2006). Die hethitische Literatur. Walter de Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783110193794. ISBN 978-3-11-018877-6.
• Haas, Volkert (2015) [1994]. Geschichte der hethitischen Religion. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East (in German). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-29394-6. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
• Hutter, Manfred (2013), "Šulinkatte", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-12-10
• Taracha, Piotr (2009). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia. Dresdner Beiträge zur Hethitologie. Vol. 27. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3447058858.