Die Etymologie von tekri-, einem hapax legomenon in den ,Mannestaten Suppiluliumas‘

Abstract

One of the best-known episodes described in the “Deeds of Suppiluliuma” is, when the Hittite king receives a letter from an Egyptian queen whose name is given as “Dahamunzu” in the cuneiform script. One crucial sentence in this part of the text (tekri-wa naḫmi) has always been difficult to understand since the exact meaning of the lexeme tekri- is not known. Nevertheless, many scholars have guessed a translation such as “I fear such disgrace” or similar. Since “Dahamunzu” has long been discovered to be the rendering of the Egyptian royal title tᴈ-ḥᵓ m.t nsw , an Egyptian etymology of tekri- does not seem unlikeley. It can indeed be interpreted as phonologically equivalent to Late Egyptian tᴈ-kᴈ.t “vulva” or “cunt” in the sense of “prostitute” or simply as a disrespective designation for a woman.