Indo-Aryan words in Hurrian

[Bjarte Kaldhol]

This post shows how the issue of the Aryan rulers in Mittani has created
misconceptions everywhere. Aryan names cannot tell us anything certain
about ethnicity. In the Nuzi texts, there are more Kassite names than IA
names, but it is commonly thought that these "Kassites" were sons of
Hurrian fathers and Kassite mothers.

I, too, would be interested in Carruba's conclusions. The publication
mentioned below is at the moment unavailable here. As for Varuna, this name
does not appear to be found anywhere in Hurrian texts. But there is an
Aruna, written a-ru-u2-na, apparently a Hittite or Anatolian version of
Hurrian Kiya$e, "Ocean", a Hurrian goddess and a very common female name
element in Hurrian texts. Aruna was a woman, living in the eastern part of
Mittani, Arrapha. In the Akkadian text where she is mentioned, there are
many names, all Hurrian except Burnazini (Kassite). There are also some
Akkadianized Hurrian legal terms. Aruna's name should not be connected to
Varuna, which in itself is a problematic name. I believe there is no
certain IE etymology?

By the way, Kiya$e is written Kiyaze in eastern Hurrian texts, which proves
that intervocalic -$- was voiced, so if Kikkuli was a Hurrian, wa$anna
should perhaps be read fadhanna, where dh represents a voiced th as in
English "this", not an aspirated dh.

Best wishes,
Bjarte Kaldhol,
Oslo

----------
> From: Venkatraman Iyer <venkatraman_iyer at HOTMAIL.COM>
> To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
> Subject: AW: Indo-Aryan words in Hurrian
> Date: 14. november 2000 14:27
>
> <<<
>
> I call attention to the last publication concerning this problem: O.
> Carruba: Zur Überlieferung einiger Namen und >Appellativa der Arier
> von Mitanni- a Luwian look" in: Indoarisch, Iranisch und die
> Indogermanistik ed. by B. Forssman and R. Plath, Reichert Verlag
> Wiesbaden 2000, p. 51-68. Best wishes Schlerath, Berlin
>
> >>>
>
> Can a list member tell us about this learned article?
>
> Did VaruNa and other IA gods exist in Hurrian?
> a) yes or b) no or c) cannot be said definitively.
>
> It appears there are problems with very feeble data,
> and hypotheses only will make powerful Aryan rulers there.
>
> Regards,
> V. Iyer
>
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