The myth of Telipinu. A work of poetry or prose?

In his pioneering studies on Hittite literature, H.G. Güterbock first attempted to define what was meant by ‘literature’ regarding the corpus of texts from Boğazköy/Ḫattuša. His conclusion was that this term was not applicable to the genuinely Anatolian documentation because —unlike the foreign compositions found in the Ḫattuša— it lacks literary autonomy, sophisticated textual elaboration and plot. According to Güterbock, the Myth of Telipinu, believed to be a typically Anatolian composition, is written in prose and would not present any literary feature. However, recent studies have shown that some genuinely Anatolian compositions may be considered ‘literary’, presenting characteristics that differentiate them from other texts written in common prose. The present study focuses purposely on the Myth of Telipinu, which, upon careful stylistic analysis, can be considered a prosimetrum, alternating prose and ‘poetry’.