At least two cultic water basins, one decorated with crouching lion relief, the other undecorated, were part of the religious practices at Hattusha. This large pool likely contained purifying rain water.
Water and weather in general played an important role in a number of the myths of the Hittite Empire. The two major deities were the Storm God and the Sun Goddess. In The Myth of the Missing Deity, the son of the Storm God, called Telipinu, goes mad and leaves the Hittite region because the proper ceremonies are not held. A blight drops over the city, and the Sun God gives a feast; but none of the guests can have their thirst quenched until the missing god returns, brought back by the actions of a helpful bee.
Source:
Ahmat Unal. 2000. "The Power of Narrative in Hittite Literature." Pp. 99-121 in Across the Anatolian Plateau: Readings in the Archaeology of Ancient Turkey. Edited by David C. Hopkins. American School of Oriental Research, Boston.
Water and weather in general played an important role in a number of the myths of the Hittite Empire. The two major deities were the Storm God and the Sun Goddess. In The Myth of the Missing Deity, the son of the Storm God, called Telipinu, goes mad and leaves the Hittite region because the proper ceremonies are not held. A blight drops over the city, and the Sun God gives a feast; but none of the guests can have their thirst quenched until the missing god returns, brought back by the actions of a helpful bee.
Source:
Ahmat Unal. 2000. "The Power of Narrative in Hittite Literature." Pp. 99-121 in Across the Anatolian Plateau: Readings in the Archaeology of Ancient Turkey. Edited by David C. Hopkins. American School of Oriental Research, Boston.
