^?x-wari-

This word is attested only once and appears with a gloss marker on a LNS Sammeltafel in Hittite context with Luwianisms in the birth ritual of Pittei (CTH 767.7).

[A.B.]

acc. sg. c.

⸢?⸣x-wa-⸢ri⸣-in

KBo 13.241+KUB 44.4 rev. 12

(CTH 767.7, LNS)

The word is usually identified as kuwari- but this is quite uncertain, cf. under Graphic features. The attestation follows CLL:116, HEG A–K:695, (cf. van den Hout 2006a:251, Ünal 2007a:383 and Ünal 2016a:306; not in Laroche 1959a). The transliteration has been checked against the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

[A.B.]

The form is usually read as ⸢ku⸣-wa-⸢ri⸣-in, which is also supported by the hand copy of KUB 44.4. This reading can, however, not be confirmed with the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. According to the photo, the first two signs are not clearly identifiable; the first one could perhaps represent a double gloss marker, but this remains uncertain. The second sign is usually read as KU, yet the other KU signs in this text look different (cf. the two instances in line 14 ku-wa-aš-ku-wa-aš-ša-⸢an⸣-du). Alternatively, the sign under discussion could be MA, PA (UD=pir) or another sign; it remains difficult to identify, and these alternative readings are not compatible with other known Hittite words, either (cf. under Meaning).

[A.B.]

The meaning of this word is unknown, no meaning is indicated in CLL:116, HEG A–K:695, HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:343, Ünal 2007a:383, Ünal 2016a:306 or Zorman 2016a:583. Other authors assume that it denotes some kind of ritual substance (cf. below for the details). The assumption voiced by HEG A–K:695 “offenbar Bezeichnung eines üblen Zustandes oder einer unangenehmen Sache im Geburtsritual” is not supported by the attested context, cf. below.

The context of KBo 13.241+KUB 44.4 rev. 11–14 shows the following (transliteration is based on the photos of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv and the hand copies, and additionally, the transliterations, restorations and translations of Beckman 1983a:176f.; Bachvarova 2013a:137,139; Starke 1990a:234; Haas 2003a:119; Torri & Barsacchi 2018a:269; Giorgieri 2004a:410; HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:343, HED H:189 have been taken into account):

⁽¹¹⁾(…) nu-uš-ši pé-ra^!-an^! MUNUS.<MEŠ>šà.zu ⁽¹²⁾kar-ši-kar-ši ⸢x(-)ḪAR⸣-ša-a-ni-in me-an‹-du› ta(or ša^!?) kaskal-ni ⸢^?⸣x-wa-⸢ri⸣-in me-an-d[u] x[-a]r^?-di^?-⸢ma^?⸣ [saḫ]arḪI.A-uš me-an-du ⁽¹³⁾tu-li-ia-aš na4[-an me-]an-du NA4pé-ru-na-aš gurun me-an-du ši-(eras)-ia-wa-x-x[...]x [me-a]n-du ⁽¹⁴⁾ti-an na4-an me-an-du na-⸢at⸣ ku-wa-aš-ku-wa-aš-ša-⸢an⸣-du na-at í.nun igi-an-d[a ...]

^(11–12)(…) before her the midwives shall take for^? the karšikarši x(-)ḫa/uršāni, they sha[ll] take the x-wari from (or of^?) the road but^? […] they shall take [as]hes, ⁽¹³⁾they shall [take] the sto[ne] of the assembly, they shall take the fruit of the rock, they shal[l take ...], ⁽¹⁴⁾they shall take the living rock, they shall grind it, […] it wit[h] butter

The word under discussion appears as direct object in a repeated parallel construction of a list of ritual substances (mainly minerals) that are “to be taken” to mix a pastry (perhaps represented by the word karšikarši, which would fit here as dat./loc. sg.), and thus is most probably one of these ritual substances as assumed by Haas 2003a:119 (who translates “kuwari-Materie”) and Giorgieri 2004a:414 (translating “kuwari-Substanz”). CLL:116 indicates that it is something “of the path” (or with Haas “vom Wege”, depending on whether the sign before kaskal is the Sumerogram ta ‘from; with’, or if it is to be emended to ša^! ‘of’) and Tischler 2008a:99 points out that it occur in parallel to “saḫar ‘Erde, Staub’” (cf. Tischler 2016a:186), which fits with the tentative translation “kuwari (dust?)” in Bachvarova 2013a:139.

Since the form shows an i-stem and there is no suitably similar Hittite word (neither *kuwari- nor *mawari-, *pawari- or *pirwari-), it could be a loan word (cf. under Origin).

If it is a loan from Luwian, the Luwian source word could be either an unattested (substantivized) adjective (*kuwara-, *mawara-, *pawara- or *pirwara-), perhaps based on a Luwian noun (*kuwa-, *mawa-, *pawa- or *pirwa- cf. under Origin for morphological details), but this does not lead much further. Alternatively, there is a topographic term mawa- (cautiously assumed to belong to Luwian māuwa- ‘four’ by Tischler 2008a:115, cf. Tischler 2016a:217, cf. also the derivative mawalli-), yet its meaning remains unclear. Also unclear is a Luwian form mawarr[i(-). Consequently, none of these words help. Based on Sommer 1932a:318, 412, HEG L–N:577f., 619–621 (cf. Tischler 2008a:147, Tischler 2016a:279) assumes the existence of an unattested noun *pirwa- (only attested in names) with the meaning ‘rock, stone’ (or sim.), assuming a connection with Hitt. NA4peru-,NA4perun- ‘rock, cliff’, which is, however, only based on the similarity of these words (cf. the discussion in CHD P:313).

Provided the generally assumed reading as kuwari- is correct, another the source for the presumed loanword could be an old Luwian action noun *kuwara- ‘cutting’ (or sim., cf. under Origin for the morphological details), which would fit with the ritual substances but is not otherwise attested.

Alternatively, one could consider a connection with Hurrian kuwari, a ritual term whose meaning is unknown (according to Richter 2012a:225 it is a ritual term, probably a tool used in cult [cf. Ünal 2007a:383, Ünal 2016a:360, Tischler 2008a:98, Tischler 2016a:186, Haas 2003a:778 n. 445 and Haas & Wilhelm 1974a:109f.]) and therefore does not help to clarify the meaning of the word under discussion; neither can a connection of these words cannot be proven.

As explained under Graphic features, all these options remain uncertain because the beginning of the form is fragmentary. ^?x-wari- can only be determined from the context as a ritual substance used together with other ritual substances (mainly minerals) to prepare a pastry.

[A.B.]

The origin of this word is unclear. It is listed in CLL:116 as well as in the lists of Luwianisms by van den Hout 2006a:251 (not in Melchert 2005a) and is furthermore assumed to be of Luwian origin by HEG A–K:695, Tischler 2008a:99, Tischler 2016a:186, Ünal 2007a:383, and Ünal 2016a:306. The form is attested in a Hittite text with many Luwianisms, which makes a Luwian origin (or at least transmission) more probable. If the first sign is indeed a gloss marker, as usually assumed, this would support a Luwian origin. Although its use does not constitute proof of a word’s Luwian origin (cf. Schwartz 1938a:75, 78 and Melchert 2005a:445), the vast majority of words provided with this marker are in fact of Luwian origin. But as explained under Graphic features, the gloss marker is uncertain.

Since no fitting Hittite word is available and the word shows an i-stem, it could be a loanword in Hittite, either from Luwian or from another contact language (such as Hurrian or Akkadian, probably via Luwian transmission), since these usually appear as i-stems in Hittite (cf. Hoffner & Melchert 2008a:53). If the generally assumed reading kuwari- is correct, the source of this word could be a Luwian noun *kuwara- (or sim.), possibly an old action noun in -a- (cf. Melchert 2003b:195) perhaps to the Luwian verb kuwar-/kur- ‘to cut’ (cf. under the respective lemma). Another option would be that the assumed source word is a (substantivized) adjective to a Luwian noun (*kuwa-, *mawa-, *pawa- or *pirwa-) with the Luwian suffix -ra- (cf. Melchert 2003b:196), but as shown under Meaning these options do not lead to a suitable Luwian source word. As noted under Meaning, a connection to Hurrian kuwari remains formally and semantically possible but cannot be proven. Hence, it is probable that ^?x-wari- is a loanword from Luwian or Hurrian, but it remains uncertain.

[A.B.]