maršai(ya)-(?)
‘pertaining to desecration/falsehood (?)’
- Language
- Cuneiform Luwian
- Grammar
- adj
- ID
- 2869
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Luwian in Hittite transmission
maršai(ya)-(?)
‘pertaining to desecration/falsehood (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is attested in a Hurrian festival text (CTH 705), in an oracle text (CTH 571), and in a birth ritual (CTH 489).
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| dat. sg. | mar-ša-i | KBo 35.137 rev. 16’ | (CTH 705, NS) |
| gen. sg. | mar-ša-i-ia-aš | KBo 16.97 i 34 | (CTH 571, MS) |
| nom./acc. pl. n. | mar-ša-ia | KBo 17.65 rev. 5 | (CTH 489, MS) |
| ˹mar˺-ša-ia | KBo 17.65 rev. 7 | (CTH 489, MS) | |
| mar-ša-ia | KBo 17.65 rev. 8 | (CTH 489, MS) |
The present lexeme was categorized by Puhvel (HED M:87) and CHD M:199 as a potential Hittite adjectival i-stem *marši-(?). Following Sasseville 2021a:28f., it is here taken instead as a Luwian adjectival formation in -ai(ya)-, which results in a more coherent picture.
[D.S.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
Checked against the photographs in the Konkordanz (Mainzer Fotoarchiv).
[D.S.]
1.1.4Meaning
In the birth ritual, the nom./acc. pl. n. mar-ša-ia modifies SÍSKURMEŠ ‘rituals, offerings’ and was translated by Beckman 1983a:139, 284 as maršaya-offerings. The same type of offering/ritual is found as gen. sg. ŠA SÍSKUR mar-ša-i-ia-aš in the oracle text. As explained in CHD M:199, if maršaya is related to Hitt. and Luw. marša- ‘desecration, falsehood’, the purpose of the ritual would be to remove the desecration from the personnel of the birth ritual (left open by Fuscagni 2014a, but adopted by Beckman, Bryce & Cline 2011a:255 as “ritual to counteract falsehood”). Schuol 1994a:108 interprets it differently as “des falschen rituals”, which is possible but less supported by the other attestations of the birth ritual.
The fragment of the Hurrian festival is very fragmentary, although the dat. sg. mar-ša-i modifying pé-di ‘in a place’ (Wegner 2002a:255f.) would imply the meaning ‘desecrated place’, which is satisfactory.
[D.S.]
1.1.5Stem
Although a Hittite adjectival i-stem cannot be entirely excluded, a Luwian adjectival formation in -ai(ya)- built on the noun marša-, which is mostly likely a non-mutating common gender stem, appears more adequate; cf. also the probable Luwian formation Émar-ša-ia-al-li[ (KUB 55.7 ii 11, CTH 470); see Puhvel HED M:87.
[D.S.]
1.1.6Origin
The Luwian origin newly posited here is not entirely assured, but very likely.
[D.S.]
For the lemma head see CLuw. marša-.