View source for Shivini

{{short description|Urartian solar god}}
[[File:Urartu God Shivini.jpg|thumb|Shivini, a drawing based on an image on an object (a belt) from the [[History Museum of Armenia]]]]

'''Shivini''' ({{langx|xur|[[wikt:𒀭𒅆𒄿𒌑𒄿𒉌|𒀭𒅆𒄿𒌑𒄿𒉌]]|translit=<sup>d</sup>ši-i-u<sub>2</sub>-i-ni}}), also known as Siuini, Artinis, Ardinis, was a [[solar deity|solar god]] in the [[mythology]] of the [[Iron Age]] kingdom of [[Urartu]] in the [[Armenian Highlands]].{{efn|He was also called ''Šimigi'' by the [[Hurrian]]s.<ref>Lurker, Manfred (2004). ''A Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons''. Routledge. p. 325. {{ISBN|0-415-03943-6}}</ref>}} He is the third god in a triad with [[Khaldi (god)|Khaldi]] and [[Theispas]]. The Assyrian god [[Shamash]] is a counterpart to Shivini. He was depicted as a man on his knees, holding up a solar disc. His wife was most likely a goddess called [[Tushpuea]] who is listed as the third goddess on the [[Mheri-Dur]] inscription.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Ancient Civilization of Urartu: An Archaeological Adventure |last=Piotrovsky |first=Boris B.|year=1969 |publisher=Cowles Book Co. |isbn=0-214-66793-6}}</ref>

Armen Petrosyan and other scholars argue that his name derives from a [[Hittite language|Hittite source]], and is, therefore, of the same [[Proto-Indo-European|Indo-European origin]] as the names of Ancient Greek [[Zeus]] and Roman [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]].<ref>Petrosyan, Armen. "[https://www.academia.edu/2939810/Collegiality_and_Interchange_in_Armenian_Studies_Journal_of_the_Society_for_Armenian_Studies_2011_Volume_20_137_156 Collegiality and Interchange in Armenian Studies]". In: ''Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies'' Vol. 20 (2011): 145 and footnote nr. 26.</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Stamp of Armenia m29.jpg|Armenian postage stamp, 1993
Urartu God Shivini.jpg|Shivini god
UrartianCaldron03.jpg|Shivini's bronze caldron
UrartianCaldron03~.jpg|The caldron's bronze-sculpted handle 
</gallery>

==Footnotes==
{{notelist|}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Badalyan, Miqayel. "Šiuini: The Urartian Sun God." In Over the Mountains and Far Away: Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology Presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, edited by Avetisyan Pavel S., Dan Roberto, and Grekyan Yervand H., 46–57. Summertown: Archaeopress, 2019. doi:10.2307/j.ctvndv9f0.10.

[[Category:Urartian deities]]
[[Category:Solar gods]]


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