dawalli(ya)-

This word is attested only once in a Hittite incantation with Luwianisms in a LNS manuscript of the birth ritual of Pittei CTH 767.7 (for this ritual genre see Beckman 1983a:180). The ritual is found on the reverse of a Sammeltafel (the obverse and some lines of the reverse belong to a cult inventory of the deity MUNUS.LUGAL – CTH 520).

[A.B.]

3sg. pres. ind. act.

da-wa-⸢al⸣-li-it-ti

KUB 44.4+13.241 rev. 33 (=21’’)

(CTH 767.7, LNS)

The attestation follows Beckman 1983a:178, Starke 1985b:236, HEG T, D:279, CLL:225, van den Hout 2007a:251 (listed under CTH 765) and Bachvarova 2013a:138. The transliteration has been checked against the photos of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

 [A.B.]

The verb has been connected to the Luwian word for ‘eye’ tāwa/i-, see here under Origin and cf. the respective lemma. The specific meaning of dawalli(ya)- can be inferred from the context of the incantation in lines 30–33, where it is used parallel to the Hitt. collocation idalu- takš- (idalu- is written with the Sumerogram ḫul) ‘to contrive evil’ (cf. Tischler 2008a:182) and must accordingly indicate “the commission of an unfavorable act” (Beckman 1983a:199, followed by HEG T, D:279).

The context of KUB 44.4+KBo 13.241 rev. 30-33 (=18’’–21’’) shows (the transliteration is based on the photos of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv, and in addition the hand copies as well as the transliterations, restorations and translations of Beckman 1983a:178f., Starke 1985b:236, Giorgieri 2004a:410 and Bachvarova 2013a:138, 140 have been taken into account):

(30)⸢ku⸣-iš-wa-kán ke-e-da-ni dumu-[li] ḫul-⸢lu⸣ [ták]-⸢ki-iš⸣-iz-zi an-iš pal-ḫa-am-ma a-uš-du (31)⸢ki⸣-an gi-nu-wa-an-da a-uš-du dingir.gal du.⸢gur⸣ ⸢pal⸣-pa-da-mi-in ki.min dištar-an pa-pa-ar-ta-ma (32)⸢a⸣-uš-du úš-an za-ap-pí-⸢an⸣ ki.min ur.⸢maḫ⸣-an giš-⸢ru⸣-an-da-an ki.min ur.bar.ra pa!-tal-ḫa-an-da-an ki.min (33)⸢muš⸣[-aš?] ⸢gìr⸣MEŠ ki.⸢min⸣ ⸢ku⸣-iš-wa ku-u-un! dumu-an (erasure) da-wa-al-li-it-ti ⸢ku⸣-iš-wa-aš-⸢ši⸣-kán ḫul-⸢lu⸣ ⸢ták⸣-ke-eš-iz-zi

(30)“Who contrives evil for this child, let him/her see the heaven flattened; (31)let him/her see the earth opened, likewise the great god Zilipuri blazing; let him / her see Ištar papartama, (32)likewise ruinous death, likewise the lion confined, likewise the wolf fettered, (33)likewise the feet [of ] the snake; who dawalitti this child, who contrives evil for him.”

Beckman translates da-wa-al-li-it-ti as “gives the evil eye to” (followed by CLL:225, Kloekhorst 2008c:704 ‘to cast the evil eye upon’ and Giorgieri 2004a:410 “mit dem bösen Auge / Blick schädigt”, Bachvarova 2013a:138 leaves this word untranslated). HEG T, D:279–280 follows Beckman 1983a:199 and assumes a more unspecific “beäugen” (‘to eye’).

The passage from line 30 to 33 begins and ends with the relative clause kuiš-wa (...) ḫul-lu ták-ki-iš-iz-zi "who contrives evil for / to this child" and functions as bracket enclosing the incantation. At the end of the text, an additional relative clause kuiš-wa (...) da-wa-al-li-it-ti is inserted before kuiš-wa (...) ḫul-lu ták-ki-iš-iz-zi. The interpretation of the Glossenkeilwort depends partially on whether the inserted relative clause is a kind of paraphrase for the following relative clause with kuiš-wa (...) ḫul-lu ták-ki-iš-iz-zi, or if it is a postposed restrictive relative clause providing further information pertaining to the preceding phrase ⸢muš⸣[-aš] ⸢gìr⸣MEŠ ki.⸢min⸣. In the latter case, the verb da-wa-al-li-it-ti would relate to the ⸢muš⸣[-aš^?] and this would support a more general meaning: “let him see (...) the feet of the snake, that eyes / glares / stares”. However, the repetition of phrases with ki.min ‘likewise’ in this incantation works like a list. The relative clause follows after ki.min and is thus outside of this pattern. Therefore, it does not seem to belong to the preceding phrase. The more probable alternative would see that the relative clause with da-wa-al-li-it-ti as parallel to ḫul-lu ták-ki-iš-iz-zi. The reasons for this insertion remain difficult to determine. Probably the Glossenkeilwort conveys a particular concept (to specify the evil act) that has no proper equivalent in Hittite and is therefore rendered in Luwian, cf. Yakubovich 2010d:399–400. Another possibility would be that dawalli(ya)- serves other purposes related to the effectiveness of the speech act in this incantation, perhaps with regard to phonetic similarity with the Luwian word for ‘evil’ ādduwal- (=Hitt. idalu-, represented by Sumerographic ḫul-lu) cf. Bachvarova 2013a:148–152 for more examples of sound play with Luwianisms in this and other incantations.

To conclude, the lexical connection with the Luwian word for ‘eye’ tāwa/i- (cf. under Origin) points to a general meaning of dawalli(ya)- ‘to eye’. Furthermore, the negative connotation and phonetic similarity with the Luwian word for ‘evil’ in the incantation discussed above makes a more specific meaning such as ‘to cast the evil eye’ very likely. But having only one attestation, we cannot be certain if the latter meaning is restricted to this specific context.

[A.B.]

The form da-wa-al-li-it-ti shows Luwian verbal inflection (3sg. pres. act. in -tti), and its Luwian status is thus assured. This is further supported by its derivational morphology, as it is supposed to be built upon *dawalla/i- ‘of the eye’ (from Luwian tāwa/i- ‘eye’ with the very productive -alla/i- suffix forming adjectives from nouns, cf. Melchert 2003b:195) and derived with the denominative verbal suffix -i(ya)- (cf. CLL:225); for the derivation with -i(ya)-), see already e.g. Beckman 1983a:199 and HEG T, D:279-280 (without further discussion).

[A.B.]