Hannahanna

Hannahanna is an enigmatic goddess. She is the Great Mother Goddess worshipped by the Hittites of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), circa 1800–1180 B.C.E. (Source: Brooklyn Museum). The word for grandmother in Turkey derives from her name. She may be a grandmother of Artemis of Ephesus and Demeter. All three share a bee connection.

Hannahanna is known for saving the world by sending one of her bees to awaken a depressed Telepino, sulky god of agriculture. Another myth tells of how Hannahanna herself disappeared in a fit of anger, causing all the crops to die and parents to abandon their children until, her anger absorbed by the dark side of the Earth (the underworld), she returned. This, combined with the myth of waking the god of agriculture, presents a close parallel to the myths of Demeter and Persephone. Additionally, the priestesses of Persephone and Demeter were known as Melissai or “bees.” Persephone’s nickname among the ancient Greeks was Melitodes or “the honeyed one.” (Source). Piglets were sacrificed to both Demeter and Hannahanna. (Source)

Hannahanna original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or via RedBubble or Fine Art America. I've read that bees were created from the tears of a god, so I tried to incorporate that here.

The priestesses of Artemis of Ephesus, an Anatolian goddess adopted by the Greeks, were also called Melissai. A fragment from a lost play by Aeschylus called Artemis’ chief priestesses “Bee-Keepers.”

"Artemis’ cult at Ephesus was very different from the way she was worshipped elsewhere. The Anatolian city did nod towards the youthful huntress, using her deer on their coins. But in keeping with their view of her as a Great Mother, they also used the bee, linking her to Demeter and Magna Mater."(Source) Bee reliefs also appear on the sides to Artemis's dress in her cult statues. It has even been suggested that Artemis's many "breasts" could be bee eggs. (Source)

Is Artemis of Ephesus a descendant of Hannahanna? It seems logical. Some scholars agree. (Source) Is Demeter also related? Are all of these goddesses just different local interpretations of the Goddess?

Artemis of Ephesus original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through Fine Art America.

No ancient imagery of Hannahanna has been identified, that I could find, but if you google her, you may be shown images of the Thriae, a trio of bee goddess prophetesses from Greece. In ancient Anatolia, Hannahanna was associated with the Gulses, a trio of goddesses of fate and destiny.

Thriae plaques, photo from Wikipedia. Another is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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