tarpalliman

The sole attestation of the lexeme occurs in a ritual text from the Hurrian milieu.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

[E.R.]

The context of tarpalliman runs as follows: ^(19’)[nu ma-a-an ke-e-el] ⸢un⸣-aš la-a-an-šu ma-a-iš tar-pa-an tar-pa-al-li-ma-an ^(20’)[uḫ-na-aš lú ḫu]l-aš ⸢da⸣-a-aš na-at ku-wa-pí ku-wa-pí da-a-iš “[If] the [evi]l [man of sorcery] took [this] person’s figure, maiš, feistiness (and) tarpalliman, and wherever he placed it” (VSNF 12.57 i 19’f.; most recently Haas 2007a:14). The gods are supposed to return the maiš, tarpan (and) tarpalliman to the ritual patron. While the first attempts at a semantic interpretation led to a generic meaning with negative connotations, viz. a demon (Haas & Wegner 1988a) and a harmful substance (HEG T:208, HHw:169), Haas 2007a:24 n. 26 suggested later that the terms correlate with terms for positive states such life and health of the body in similar incantations (e.g., KBo 31.143+ Vs. 19’). The argument seems probative, but it is difficult to square a positive meaning with potential derivatives of tarpālla/i- ‘(ritual) substitute’. Since maiš is a hapax and tarp(i)- ‘vital force, feistiness, bellicosity’ is ambivalent as to its connotation, it does not provide any additional clue. Perhaps ‘state of having a substitute’ represents an option.

[E.R.]

Apparently, the acc. sg. tarpalliman derives from tarpālla/i- ‘(ritual) substitute’. With or without an intermediary verb *tarpalli-^(ti), an abstract noun could be formed ending in -m(i)- c., -ma- c. or in -m(ma)n- n. The spelling with singleton -m-, though not conclusive, tips the scales towards the -m(i)- or -ma- stem, any of which may well appear as -ma- in the Hittite loanword.

[E.R.]

For the Luwian origin of the word, see its Luwian base tarpālla/i- in Hittite transmission.

[E.R.]

For the lemma head see CLuw. *tarp-.