šaḫḫanišša-⁽ⁱ⁾

The verb appears in an incantation in a ritual of the Kuwattalla tradition.

[E.R.]

3sg. pret. act.	ša-aḫ-ḫa-ni-iš-ša-at-ta	KUB 35.45 ii 21	(CTH 760, NS)
	ša-ḫa-ni-eš-ša-ta	KUB 35.48 ii 14’	(CTH 760, NS)
	[ša-aḫ-ḫa-ni-iš-ša-at-t]a	KUB 35.45 ii 21	(CTH 760, NS)

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. – The spelling at KUB 35.48 ii 14’ is simplified due to the lack of space towards the end of the line.

[E.R.]

The verb is always found in the same context in an asyndetic combination with ippattarišša-⁽ⁱ⁾: ([Sun-go]d, divine lord, give them (to me), the enemies, the lords of vengeful words, traps, judgments, curse, perjury,) ku-i-ša-an ša-aḫ-ḫa-ni-iš-ša-at-ta ku-i-ša-an ip-pa-tar-ri-ša-at-ta “Whoever šaḫḫanišša-ed it, whoever distrained it,” (the ritual patron’s shape, flesh, bone(s) ...)” (largely following Mouton, Puértolas Rubio & Yakubovich, pers. comm.). Obviously, the verb pair denotes a kind of magical binding, either literally or metaphorically. The stem formation of šaḫḫanišša-⁽ⁱ⁾ is transparent. Starting from a base šaḫḫan- ‘binding, service’ (see under Lemma), a denominative verb is built, here further derived with the productive -šša- for the imperfective stem (explicitly Starke 1990a:228f., Melchert 1994a:79, Melchert 1997b:132). In the same vein, already Rosenkranz 1952a:71 had suggested ‘zinspflichtig machen; unterwerfen’. The translation ‘to impose service on’, adopted here from CLL:183, is closer to the meaning of the base noun šaḫḫan- ‘binding, service’ (thus also HHw:s.v., EDHIL:691f.). Outdated DLL:83, HW:426, Puhvel 1979b:303, Kammenhuber 1986a:736, Rieken 1999a:341, HEG S:695, based on the erroneous etymological connection with Hitt. šāḫ- ‘to stop up, clog, stuff, fill in’, in spite of the single -ḫ- (see Starke 1990a:228f.).

[E.R.]

For the lemma head see CLuw. šaḫḫan-.