Hurrian fud- ‘to wash, purify’

It was traditionally assumed that the Hurrian root fud- ‘to beget, (pro-)create’ can occur with and without a -d/t- extension. The analysis of the contexts where the assumed un-extended variant fud- occur leads to the conclusion that they all feature a different root, which means ‘to wash, purify’. Therefore, the assumed extended variant fut-t- can now be regarded as the primary root futt- ‘to beget, (pro-)create’. Another result of contextual analysis is the improved interpretation of several Hurrian passages. For example, what was previously analysed as the Hurrian account of theogony can now be interpreted as the tale of divine ablution, which sets a precedent for the ritual ablution of human beings. Furthermore, the name of the Hittite Queen Puduḫepa, previously interpreted as “Ḫebat created”, obtains now a different interpretation “Ḫebat purified”.