The mythology Palaita describes the myths, legends and religion of the Palaite people (Pala in English).
Pala was a Bronze Age country in northern Anatolia. Nothing more is known about Pala than its native language, which is the Palaic language (palaumnili), and its original religion. The only known person of Palaic origin is ritual priestess Anna.
The country of Pala can be located in the Black Sea region. There are two possibilities where Pala may have been in this region. The first possibility is the country known as Paphlagonia in classical antiquity. The second possibility is the territory called Blaene in antiquity (located in Paphlagonia).
Palaitan mythology (texts)
In the old period Hittite, Pala was mentioned as an administrative area under Hittite jurisdiction in the laws Hittites. At the end of the ancient Hittite period, contact between the Hittites and Pala ceased due to the capture of the Black Sea region by the Kaskian people. It is likely that the Palaic peoples disappeared with the Kaskian invasion.
Palaic mythology is known from cuneiform ritual texts from the temple of the Palaic storm god in the Hittite capital Ḫattuša where the worship of Palaic deities continued even when contact between the Hittites and Pala had disappeared. The following deities are known:
| Last name | Gender | Identification | Other names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziparwa | god | Major god, god of lightning | Zaparwa, name Hatti |
| Kataḫzipuri | goddess | Zaparwa's wife | Kataḫziwuri, name Hatti |
| Tiyaz | god | sun god | Tiyadh |
| Gulzannikes | goddess | Goddess of fate | Gulzikannikes |
| Ḫašamili | god | Ḫašammili, name Hatti > | |
| Inar | goddess | ||
| Kamama | god | Kammamma | |
| Hearth | divinity | household deity | |
| Šaušḫalla | divinity | Šaušḫilla | |
| Ḫilanzipa | divinity | Ḫilašši | |
| Ḫašauwanza | divinity | ||
| Assanuwant | divinity | ||
| Ilaliyantikeš | deities | Ilaliyant | |
| Kuwanses | deities | ||
| Uliliyantikes | deities |
