kuwarayalla/i-

The transmission of the present word is limited to a vow and three fragments of the ḫišuwa-festival belonging to a single passage (all NS).

[E.R.]

nom./acc. pl. n.	ku-wa-ra-ia-al-la	KUB 15.12 iv 11’	(CTH 590, NS)
	ku-wa-ra-⸢ia⸣-a[l-la]	KUB 15.12 iv 12’	(CTH 590, NS)
	ku-wa-ia!-ra!-al-la	KUB 34.116 v 6’	(CTH 628, NS)
	ku-wa-ra-ia-al-la	KBo 15.52 v 12’	(CTH 628, NS)
	ku-wa-ra-ia-al-la	KBo 20.60 v 3’	(CTH 628, NS)

HW:357 (followed in HEG A-K :686, HHw:s.v., de Roos 2007a:166) claims that the form functions as an adverb modifying the verb ‘to speak’, but a direct object is preferable in view of e-ni ku-wa-ra-⸢ia⸣-a[l-la] at KUB 15.12 iv 12’ (see already Neu 1968a:204f. with n. 15 and Archi 1973a:27 n. 83 with substantival translations of KUB 34.116 v 6’).

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. – At KUB 34.116 v 6’, the spelling of -ia- and -ra- is erroneously metathesized, as becomes clear from correct ku-wa-ra-ia-al-la on the same tablet at KBo 15.52 v 12’, its dupl. KBo 20.60 v 3’, and elsewhere.

[E.R.]

Under Graphic Features, it was pointed out that the spelling ku-wa-ia^!-ra^!-al-la is a scribal mistake. Consequently, all attempts to come to a semantic interpretation based on the spurious etymological relationship with the derivatives of kuwaya- ‘to fear’ are obsolete (HW:357, Archi 1973a:27, HEG A-K:686, HED K:302, de Roos 2007a:166, Ünal 2007a:384, Groddek 2010a:390; no translation in DLL:60 or CLL:116).

In contrast, Neu 1968a:204f. with n. 15 suggested ‘Kampflieder (?)’ for the combination ku-wa-ia^!-ra^!-al-la za-aḫ-ḫi-ia-aš, but characterized his own proposal as highly questionable because of the irregular postposition of the genitive zaḫḫiyaš. Indeed, zaḫḫiyaš is a dat./loc. pl. functioning as a locatival adjunct dependent on the verb (see below). Nevertheless, Neu was followed in HED K:302, Groddek 2010a:390.

Also based on contextual analysis, CHD L-N:279 (followed in Gilan 2001a:119 and Ünal 2007a:382f.) translates ‘encouraging things’. However, the latter is unlikely, since the collocation with the distal demonstrative pronoun eni at KUB 15.12 iv 12’ reveals is a negative connotation unsuitable for ‘encouraging things’.

The two complete contexts are KBo 15.52 v 3’-7’ + KUB 34.116 l. col. 3’-7’

^(3’)... 3 ^LÚ⸣^.MEŠBALAG.DI PA-NI DINGIR-⸢LIM⸣[ ] ^(4’)me-na-aḫ-ḫa-an-da za-[a]ḫ-ḫi-ia-aš i-wa-ar ^(5’)ḫi-in-ga-ni-iš-kán-zi nu IT-TI ^DIŠKUR ^(6’)za-aḫ-ḫi-ia-an-da ^LÚ.ME[^Š]BALAG.DI ku-wa-ia^!-ra^!-al-la ^(7’)za-aḫ-ḫi-ia-aš SÌR-RU

“... three BALAG.DI-players dance in the manner of a battle facing the deity. They fight with the Storm-god. The BALAG.DI-players sing kuwarayalla in (their) battles”

and in the same text, KBo 15.52 v 12’-16’ + KUB 34.116 l. col. 12’-16’

^(12’)... [nu LUGAL-i] ^(13’)me-na-aḫ-ḫa-an-da ku-wa-ra-ia-al-la k[i-iš-ša-an] ^(14’)me-mi-iš-ke-ez-zi LUGAL-uš-wa le-e n[a-aḫ-ti] ^(15’)DIŠKUR-wa LÚ^{MEŠ LÚ}KÚR KUR.KUR^{ḪI.A LÚ}KÚR tu-uk-pát ⸢A⸣-[NA LUGAL ŠA-PAL] ^(16’)GÌR^MEŠ zi-ik-ke-ez-zi

“He (i.e. the purapši-priest) speaks kuwarayalla before the king, as follows: King, fear not! The Storm-god will put the enemies and the enemy lands under your feet.”

Unfortunately, one cannot draw secure conclusions regarding the concrete meaning of kuwarayalla, which probably denotes a kind of speech or song or the way of their presentation. Therefore, ‘battle-cry’ is still a possibility, but nothing more.

[E.R.]

The boundary between root and suffix chain remains unclear. A tentative segmentation could start from a root kuwar- based on the restrictions for the root structure, with the suffixes -a- (< *-eh₂-) for abstract nouns, adjectival -i(ya)- (with secondary substantivization?) and another adjectival suffix -alla/i-. However, any connection with the well-known root kuwar-/kur- ‘to cut’ cannot be substantiated by the contextual analysis. Outdated Neumann 1958a:224 and HEG A-K:686.

[E.R.]

The combination of the gloss-wedge marking and the typically Luwian suffix chain indicate that kuwarayalla is a borrowing from Luwian (see also DLL:60, HW:357, CLL:116, Melchert 2005a:452, van den Hout 2006a:246).

[E.R.]