piḫaimma/i-

This lexeme is attested as a divine epithet in cult inventories, in contracts, in oracle texts, all of which are New Hittite compositions.

[D.S.]

nom. sg. c.	pí-ḫa-i-mi-iš	KUB 12.2 i 18’	(CTH 526, LNS)
	[p]í-⸢ḫa⸣-i-mi-iš	KBo 42.27 rev. 3	(CTH 527, NS)
	pí-ḫa-i-mi-i-iš	KUB 12.2 iii 1	(CTH 526, LNS)
	pí-ḫa-im-mi-iš	KBo 4.10+ obv. 53’	(CTH 106, NS)
	pí-ḫa-im-me-iš	AT 454 vi 1	(CTH 577, NS)
	pí-ḫa-i-me-iš	DAAM 1.41 i 5	(CTH 530, LNS)
	Dpi-ḫa-i-mi-iš	KBo 70.109+ iii 27’	(CTH 527, LNS)
	Dpí-ḫa-i-mi-i[š]	KBo 70.109+ ii 37	(CTH 527, NS)
	Dp[í-ḫa-i]-mi-iš	KBo 70.109+ ii 43	(CTH 527, NS)
	⸢D⸣pí-ḫa-i-mi-i[š]	KBo 70.109+ ii 48	(CTH 527, NS)
	Dpí-ḫa-⸢i-mi-iš⸣	KUB 38.6+ iv 11’	(CTH 527, LNS)
	[Dpí-ḫ]a-i-mi-iš	KUB 38.6+ ii 9’	(CTH 527, LNS)
	Dpí-ḫ[a-i-mi-iš]	KUB 38.6 + Bo 6741 iv 2’/3’	(CTH 527, LNS)
	⸢Dpí-ḫa-i-mi-iš⸣	KBo 70.109+ ii 17	(CTH 527, NS)
	⸢D⸣pí-ḫa-i-mi-[iš]	KBo 70.109+ ii 9	(CTH 527, NS)
	D⸢pí⸣-[ḫa-i-mi-iš]	KBo 70.109+ i 14’	(CTH 527, NS)
	[Dpí-ḫa-i-mi-i]š	KBo 70.109+ iv 10’	(CTH 527, NS)
stem form	pí-ḫa-i-mi	KUB 38.12 iii 19’	(CTH 527, NS)
		KBo 56.59, 5’	(CTH 530, NS)
unclear	pí-ḫa-a-e-m[i(-)	KBo 26.161 iii 3’	(CTH 529, NS)

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. – No photo is available for Bo 6741 and AT 454.* The rare spelling with -āe-, just like with -ai-, renders the diphthong /ai/.

[D.S.]

Based on an attestation in HLuw., in which the same participle is used to modify the victorious king, the epithets of the Storm-god piḫamma/i- and piḫaimma/i- have been translated accordingly as ‘glorified’ (thus HEG P:603). Differently, Puhvel (HED PE, PI, PU:74f.) translates it as ‘strong, mighty’ based on the Phoenician bilingual inscription of Karatepe, in which /pihassa/ corresponds to Phoenician ‘powerful strength’ (see under lemma). Melchert (CLL:176) suggests a sense ‘imbued with splendour/might’, which connects the two concepts (followed in CHD P:253 and DCL:187). It is left untranslated by Götze 1951b:72, Laroche 1959a:81, Cammarosano 2018a:439, 456. The meaning ‘glorified (?)’ seems the best fit considering the HLuw. passage (see under HLuw. /pihamma/i-/), the Hittite passages themselves, however, contribute no evidence for or against this interpretation.

[D.S.]

The existence of a formation in -aimma/i- next to one in -amma/i- speaks for the existence of two denominal formations, i.e. piḫā(i)-^(di) and piḫa-^(ti), which are otherwise unattested. A similar approach was taken by Starke 1990a:314, although he assumed the base of piḫamma/i- to be a root verb of the ḫi-conjugation with an acrostatic paradigm, which would be an isolated formation. Sasseville 2021a:26, 121 brings further evidence for parallel formations in -a-^(ti) (factitive) next to -ā(i)-^(di) not only in Luwian, Lycian and Lydian, but also in Hittite. Differently, Melchert (CLL:176, DCL:187) suggests that -aimma/i- is a denominal formation derived from the unattested nominal base *piḫa-, which is not supported by the existing parallel derivation in -amma/i-. Therefore, his approach is not accepted here.

As is usual for Luwian formations in -mma/i- attested in Hittite context, the geminate -mm- is often spelled single, i.e. -m-, which has no linguistic relevance.

[D.S.]

Due to its morphology and its association with the word family of *piḫa-, the Luwian origin of piḫaimma/i- has long been clear (Götze 1951b:72, Laroche 1959a:81, HEG P:603, HED PE, PI, PU:74f., DCL:187).

[D.S.]

*The forms in the table were checked together with Marian Wehrstein.

The attestation of this epithet of the Storm-god is mentioned in an Akkadian text, whose author was probably a Luwian priest from Kizzuwatna.

[D.S.]

part. nom. sg. c.	pí-ḫa-im-mì-iš	AT 454 VI 1 (Alalaḫ)
part. stem form	[pí-ḫ]a-im-mi	Emar 472, 24’
	pí-ḫa-im-mi	Emar 472, 48’

 For the text from Emar, see Arnaud 1986a.

[D.S.]

The translation depends on the interpretation chosen for the epithet in Hittite transmission (see above). Laroche 1988a:113, 115 and Prechel 2008b:244-246 leave it untranslated, whereas Archi 2014a:154 opts for the meaning ‘mighty’.

[D.S.]

For the Luwian origin, see above.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see CLuw. *piḫa-.