Death to Winter - Hittite Purulli

"Let the land grow and thrive, let the land be secure!- and when it grows and thrives, then perform the festival of Purulli." ("The Anatolian Myth of Illuyanka". Beckman, Gary)

The Hittite festival of Purulli celebrates the destruction of the serpent dragon, Illuyanka, by the sky god,Tarhun. Each spring, the festival is held in honor of the mother goddess, Hannahannah, who is tempermental like Demeter and disappears for the winter.

She gets a new a new king.  Illuyanka just gets it.

The stone depiction of Tarhun slaying Illuyanka above is from a temple at Hattusa.Take a closer look at Tarhun and you'll notice he's got a lightning bolt and a hammer, because he's the Hittite version of Zeus, altough I don't know why he's got Thor's hammer.

So the story goes like this:

Illuyanka and Tarhun get in a fight. Tarhun loses his heart and eyes to Illuyanka. (Enter Winter, I think.) Illuyanka retreats to his world under the sea/earth (depends on the version), but then Tarhun's son (by a mortal) marries Illuyanka's daughter. The son of Tarhun demands the heart and eyes of his father from the bride's family (in the underworld). Whole once more, Tarhun goes after Illuyanka and slays the serpent. (Welcome Spring!)

There are similarities to other myths like Shahmeran, Typhon, Chimaera...I can keep going...it's the battle of good and evil. But also remember, the snake is a symbol of rebirth, because it sheds it's skin, so this is probably why this myth is associated with spring.

And don't forget:

"The Illuyankas is an enemy in Final Fantasy VI. Like most enemies in Umaro's cave, it frequently inflicts the Imp status using its special attack, Friendmaker. It only has a hundred MP and dies when it runs out, so a single cast of Rasp against it will quickly kill it. It may drop a White Cape, a useful Relic for the cave as it makes the wearer immune to Imp. (finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Illuyankas_(Final_Fantasy_VI)

Can't wait for Illuyankas to show up in one of my stories. ;)

Slither

I never saw any snakes in Turkey, but that doesn't mean they're not there. Serpents, like the Eastern Sand Viper in the pic, love the hot, dry climate.  I'm sure they're hiding between all those lovely limestone rocks littered everywhere.  Poor things just want to be left alone and I'm happy to oblige. If you're really interested, there's a whole list of the ones found in Turkey on this link.

Snakes are usually a sign of bad things in literature. Just like in the local tragic fairy tale of The Seed, the bad guy is usually a snake, slithery and poisonous. In religion and spirituality though, the snake can have much nicer connotations...

...like the Ouroboros, a snake or dragon, with it's tail in its mouth.  It represents the cycle of life and death.  Snakes are symbolic of renewal because they shed their skin every year. They're even worshipped as gods by many cultures. Egyptians revered the snake and made it part of the Pharaoh's crown.  Shiva and Vishu are depicted with one around the necks. Revered Hindu Ichchhadhari snakes can take the shape of any creature (Great book idea for somebody here!). Greeks believed that creatures and even gods (like Medusa) with snake characteristics were simply bound to the earth, not nececcarily evil. And of course, you still remember my post about Kundalini.

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