hppñterus-

This lexeme is attested on the two sepulchral inscriptions TL 58 and 139.

[O.B.]

nom. sg.	hppñterus	TL 58.5 (Antiphellos)
	h[p]pñter![us]	TL 139.4 (Limyra)

The restoration on TL 139 is conventional (see DLL:24, Neumann 2007a:97, Christiansen 2020a:234 with further literature) and follows Torp 1901a:46.

[O.B.]

Lyc. hppñterus occurs before the gen. pl. form mãhãi ‘of the gods’ in both attestations, additionally preceding miñtehi ‘of the mindis’ on TL 58. On TL 139, the lexeme occurs as the subject of tubidi ‘strikes’ in the prescribed punishment for violating the immediately preceding stipulation not to place anyone else in the adjoining grave. It follows that hppñterus is some sort of religiously sanctioned punitive agent. It is not clear whether the word denotes a human or divine entity (either an organization of mortals or a collective of deities per Schürr 2001d:110). Carruba 1977a:286 argues that a divine interpretation is impossible, as the following mãhãi ‘(of the) gods’ would be rendered redundant. A human interpretation is likewise favoured in HEG:I 412, Hajnal 1995a:134, Schürr 1997c:131, Neumann 2007a:97, Schürr 2008b:163 and Melchert 2016c:191. Conversely, Oreshko 2019a:170f. n. 43 argues that hppñterus refers to the chthonic gods (θεοί χθόνιοι) known from Greek inscriptions, corresponding to the Lycian mãhãi latãi ‘gods of the dead’. Similarly, Neumann 1979b:262 gives the tentative semantic assignment ‘unterirdisch (?)’. For hppñterus as a deity or group of deities, see also Laroche 1967a:54.

[O.B.]

Lyc. hppñterus is an s-stem. The common gender can be surmised in comparison to arus- ‘citizen(ry)’ (see below).

Since Carruba 1977a:286, hppñterus is commonly analyzed as a compound with arus- as its final member. The first member is usually compared to Hitt. išpānt-/išpant-^(ḫi) ‘to sacrifice, libate’ (thus in Carruba 1977a:286, HEG I:412, Hajnal 1995a:134, Schürr 2001d:110, DLL:24, Neumann 2007a:97, Jasanoff 2010b:144, Melchert 2016c:191). Conversely, Oreshko 2019a:107f. n. 43 takes the first member as cognate to Hitt. išpant- ‘night’, with the resulting literal meaning of hppñterus as ‘night-folk’ or similar. The e-vocalism, deviating from the a-vocalism in the postulated final member [3342]arus-, is usually left without comment. Hajnal 1995a:163 n. 188 rather postulates an agent noun to a verb ‘to sacrifice’ with u-stem declension borrowed from Greek, in which case the e-vocalism is rendered unproblematic.

HLuw. (CAELUM.*286.x)sá-pa-tara/i-i-sa ‘(a priest) (?)’ is sometimes adduced as comparandum (HEG:I 412, Hajnal 1995a:136, Schürr 2008b:163f., Melchert 2016c:191). However, note the separate i-mutated ending stem formation.

[O.B.]