Aḫû

Authors: Gennady E. Kurtik, Euin Choung Kim, David Hilder, Susanne M Hoffmann, Wayne Horowitz, Youla Azkarrula

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Jupiter, Mars, and Pleiades in dawn. Photograph on July 8 2024 by Susanne M Hoffmann, animated GIF displays labels (English)

^mulAḫû (𒀯𒀀𒄷𒌋), translated as ‘The Stranger, The Strange One’, a Mesopotamian name for Mars and Mercury. A word-play with the homonym aḫu, 'brother' may be suspected with the name aḫâtu, sister, for Venus (see A-ḫa-ti). Such an understanding of the term would make her (Venus), and them (Mars, Mercury) sister and brothers.

Visibility & Appearance

Images of Mars

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  Close Conjunction of Jupiter (brighter) and Mars (reddish) under Orion (upper right), seen from Cape Town (SMH 2024)
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  Closest Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars in 2024 (Cape Town, SMH).
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  Jupiter, Mars and Pleiades at Dawn (SMH 2024).
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  Jupiter, Mars, Pleiaden in a slightly cloudy morning twilight (SMH 2024).
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  Mars in the constellation Gemini, The Twins (SMH January 2025).
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  Mars in the constellation Gemini, The Twins (SMH February 2025).
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  Mars extremly close to epsilon Geminorum (14 April 2023), seen from Petra, Jordan (SMH).
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  One day after the close conjunction of Mars with epsilon Geminorum; seen from Petra, Jordan (SMH 2023). The planet then had a visible separation from the star.
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  Mars in the Open Star Cluster Praesepe (M44) in Cancer (2023)
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  Mars next to a tower in Central Europe: its reddish colour is extraordinarily obvious (SMH 2025).
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  Mars two moon widths next to the Moon, photograph at full moon taken through a window in order to produce a dimmer image of the full moon next to Mars: the planet is at the right edge of the Moon. (SMH January 2025).

Concordance, Etymology, History

Sources	Identifications
Lexical Texts. Series Ḫg. B VI: mulur.bar.ra = a-ḫu-u = MIN(=dṣal-[bat-a-nu]) "Wolf = Stranger = ditto(=Mars)" [MSL XI, 40:36].
A Hittite Prayer to the Gods of the Night. mulA-ḫa-ti [KUB IV, 43 r. 47; BPO 2, 2-3; Van der Toorn 1985, 129:43], possibly related etymologically to mulAḫû [Reynolds 1998, 351]; see, however, [Lambert 1987, 95] and (Kurtik a14) A-ḫa-ti.
Enuma Anu Enlil (EAE). See [ACh Suppl. 50:11; Borger 1973, LB 1321 r. 9′; Largement 1957, 246:49-50; SpTU I, 92:6; TU, 16:49-50].
"The Great Star List". (1) List of the names of Mars: mulA-ḫu-u = dmin(dṣal-bat-a-nu) "Stranger = Mars", (2) 7 names of Mars (7 zik-ru-šu): mulA-ḫu-u [Mesop.Astrol., App. B: 89, 237], see also [CAD A/1, 213]. (3) A name for Mercury, see Horowitz 2020: 72.

Additional

Astrology.

           (1) Planet and Erua(=Venus?): DIŠ ^mulUDU.IDIM u ^mulA.EDIN: ^mula-ḫu-u₂ it-ten-tu-u₂ ŠE.GIŠ.I₃ SIG₅ ... "If a planet and Erua, or the Stranger, go close with each other: the sesame will be good" [TU, 16:49-50; Largement 1957, 246:49-50]; for a parallel see [SpTU I, 92:6].

            (2) The Eagle(=Mars) and the Pleiades; DIŠ ^mulA₂^mušen ana MUL.MUL TE ^dIM RA ^mula-ḫu-u₂ [...] "If the Eagle comes close to the Star Cluster: Adad will devastate; (it means:) the Stranger (=Mars) [...]" [ACh Suppl., 50:11; Reynolds 1998, 351], see also [Borger 1973, 41:9′]. This prediction suggests an identification: ^mulA₂^mušen = ^mulaḫû = ^dṣal-bat-a-nu.

Historical Dictionaries

Kurtik (2022, a15)

Gössmann (1950)

= «Странный, Чужой», «Чужак»; эпитет Марса [G. 11]. I. Источники. Лексич. тексты. Серия Ḫg. B VI: mulur.bar.ra = a-ḫu-u = MIN(=dṣal-[bat-a-nu]) «Волк = Чужой = ditto(=Марс)» [MSL XI, 40:36]. Хеттская молитва ночным богам. На первом месте: mula-ḫa-ti [KUB IV, 43 r. 47; BPO 2, 2–3; Van der Toorn 1985, 129:43], возможно, связанное этимологически с mulaḫû [Reynolds 1998, 351]; см., однако, [Lambert 1987, 95] и a14 A-ḫa-ti. EAE. См. [ACh Suppl., 50:11; Borger 1973, LB 1321 r. 9′; Largement 1957, 246:49–50; SpTU I, 92:6; TU, 16:49–50]. «Большой список звезд». (1) Список имен Марса: mula-ḫu-u = dmin(dṣal-bat-a-nu) «Чужак = Марс», (2) 7 имен Марса (7 zik-ru-šu): mula-ḫu-u [Mesop.Astrol., App. B: 89, 237], см. также [CAD A/1, 213]. II. Астрология. (1)  Планета(=Марс) и Эруа(=Венера?); DIŠ mulUDU.IDIM u mulA.EDIN: mula-ḫu-u2 it-ten-tu-u2 ŠE.GIŠ.I3 SIG5 … «Если планета и Эруа (сблизились), (это означает:) Чужак стоит близко: сезам будет хорошим» [TU, 16:49–50; Largement 1957, 246:49–50]; параллель см. [SpTU I, 92:6]. (2)  Орел(=Марс) и Плеяды; DIŠ mulA2mušen ana MUL.MUL TE dIM RA mula-ḫu-u2 […] «Если Орел к Звездам приближается: Адад пошлет наводнение; (это означает:) Чужак (=Марс) […]» [ACh Suppl., 50:11; Reynolds 1998, 351], см. также [Borger 1973, 41:9′]. Это предсказание предполагает отождествление: mulA2mušen = mulaḫû = dṣal-bat-a-nu.

Example

References

• Kurtik's references