ḫalwašši-

This lexeme occurs in several NS oracle reports: bird oracles and combined ones. For a more extensive list of attestations of more than 30 attestations, see HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:90.

[E.R.]

nom. sg.	ḫal-wa-aš-ši-iš	KBo 2.6 iv 20	(CTH 569, NS)
		KBo 13.67 obv. 9’	(CTH 574, NS)
		KUB 5.22, 16’, 19’	(CTH 573, NS)
	ḫal!(AŠ)-wa-aš-ši-ia-[aš]	KUB 49.61, 15’	(CTH 577, NS)
	ḫal-wa-ši-aš	KUB 6.40 edge 2’	(CTH 580, NS)
acc. sg.	ḫal-wa-aš-ši-in	KBo 42.25 obv. 9	(CTH 580, NS)
		KUB 16.46 i 12	(CTH 573, NS)
	ḫal-⸢wa⸣-aš-ši-⸢in⸣	KUB 16.46 iv 19	(CTH 573, NS)
	ḫal-wa-ši-⸢en?⸣	KUB 52.75 obv. 6	(CTH 573, NS)
nom. pl.	ḫal-wa-aš-ši-ia-aš	KUB 18.57 iii 17	(CTH 577, NS)
	ḫal-wa-aš-ši-uš	KUB 49.32 r. col. 6’	(CTH 573, NS)
	ḫal-wa-aš-ši-iš	KUB 18.57 iii 4	(CTH 577, NS)

HED Ḫ: 53 interprets ḫal-wa-aš-ši-iš at KUB 18.57 iii 4 as nom. pl. as expected for animates following the numeral ‘2’ (different HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:90 “nom. sg.”).

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. – The reading of the last sign of ḫal-wa-ši-⸢en^?⸣ at KUB 52.75 obv. 6 follows Sakuma 2009b:388 (different HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:90: ḫal-wa-ši-in^! with an unnecessary emendation).

[E.R.]

The lexeme occurs in oracle reports describing the movement of oracle birds. Nothing is known about the species; cf. the generic translations in the dictionaries and the bird lists that are included in scholarly literature about ornithomancy (HW:48, Hoffner 1967a:22, HEG A-K:139, HED H:53, HHw:37, HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:90, Ünal 2007a:154; Ertem 1965a:212, Ünal 1973a:30, Archi 1975a:142, Haas 2008a: 35, Sakuma 2009a:395). While Kronasser 1966a:228, Starke 1990a:475, and Puhvel (HED H:53) cautiously refrain from reconstructing a base or connecting the word with potential derivatives of the same base, Haas 2008a:35 optimistically adduces Luw. *halwa- ‘to be vital’. It is unclear what he is referring to, but he may have had the base of ḫalwam(ma)n- ‘cheering, rejoicing, laughter’ in mind. If so, his analysis can be maintained; however, with an adapted semantic interpretation as ‘(the bird) related to shouting/cheering, the shouter’.

[E.R.]

Most scholars agree that the term ḫalwašši- contains the Luwian suffix -ašši-, i.e. the substantivization of a possessive adjective in -ašša/i- adapted as a Hittite i-stem (Kronasser 1966a:228, HEG A-K:139, Starke 1990a:475, HED H:53, Melchert 2005a:450, Haas 2008a:35, Sakuma 2009a:395; different HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:90, considering the stem “aus -aššiya- umgemodelt”). The by-form ḫalwašsiya- may represent the thematization thereof, in Hittite. Alternatively, a derivational chain *ḫalwa- plus -ašša/i- plus -i(ya)- with two successive suffixes for relational adjectives must be assumed: ‘(the bird) of the kind of the shouter / cheering-bird’ vel sim.

[E.R.]

Luwian origin is at least implied by those scholars who assume that ḫalwašši- contains the Luwian suffix -ašša/i- (see under Stem, but also the counter-argument by HW 2nd ed. Ḫ:90); more explicit HED H:53, Haas 2008a:35, and Sakuma 2009a:395; hesitant Melchert 2005a:450 and DCL:49. For a possible etymological link, see CLuw. ḫalwati(ya)-.

[E.R.]

This lemma was written together with Marcello Koraicho.

For the lemma head see Luw. *ḫalwa-.