Etruscan mythology

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Image:Turms.jpg Image:Etruscan mural typhon2.jpg

The Etruscans were a race of unknown origin from North Italy who were eventually integrated into Rome. Many of the deities listed below were eventually part of the Roman pantheon.

Very few Etruscan texts have survived: only two short, incomplete texts, and only a modest number of grave inscriptions, the Etruscan language itself is not yet very well understood. The works of earlier Latin writers on Etruscan religious survivals would have filled the gap, if any of them had survived.

Any modern discussion of Etruscan mythology will have to be based on the publication of the Praenestine cistae: some two dozen fascicles of the Corpus Speculorum Etruscorum have now appeared. Specifically Etruscan mythological and cult figures appear in the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Etruscan inscriptions have recently been given a more authoritative presentation by Helmut Rix, Etruskische Texte.

The primary trinity included Tinia, Uni and Menrva.

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List of Etruscan mythological figures

Name	Information	InterWiki
Achle	Legendary hero of the Trojan War, from the Greek Achilles.
Aita	Also Eita. God of the underworld and ruler of the dead, equated with the Greek Hades and Greco-Roman Pluto.	it
Aivas	Also Eivas or Evas. Etruscan equivalent of the Greek heroes Ajax the Great and Ajax the Lesser.
Alpan	Also Apanu. A goddess of love and one of the Lasas, and a ruler of the underworld. Possibly equated with the Greek goddess Persephone. In art, she was usually depicted as a nude or semi-nude winged maiden.	it sr
Ani	God of the sky who lived in the highest level of the heavens. He may be linguistically linked to the Roman god Janus. His female counterpart was Ana.	bg it sr
Aplu	Also Apulu. Thunder and lightning god, often depicted in art with a staff and laurel branches. He was clearly derived from the Greek god Apollo.	cs it nl sr
Artume	Also Aritimi, Artumes or Artames. Goddess of the night, the moon, and death, as well as nature, forests, and fertility. She was associated with the Greek goddess Artemis.	it tr
Atunis	Also Atuns. The Etruscan incarnation of the popular life-death-rebirth deity Adonis and a consort for Turan.
Cautha	Also Cath or Catha. A sun goddess, and the daughter of the sun itself. She was also a goddess of beginnings and the dawn, and was also shown rising from the ocean.	it
Cel	Also Cilens or Celens. Earth deity, equivalent to the Greek Gaia. Rendered either Ati Cel ("Father Earth") or Apa Cel ("Mother Earth").
Charontes	A type of demon, possibly linguistically linked to Charon.	it
Charun	Also Karun. A demon who tortured dead souls in the underworld, as well as the guardian of the entrance to the underworld. He was commonly depicted as a blue fiend with a vulture's nose, pointed ears, red hair, and feathered wings, and killed people with a hammer, or sometimes an axe. He was also sometimes depicted as a man with red hair and a beard. He was the Etruscan equivalent of the Greek deity Charon.	fr it
Culsans	God of doors and doorways, corresponding to the two-faced Roman god Janus.	it
Culsu	Also Cul. A female underworld demon who was associated with gateways. Her attributes included a torch and scissors. She was often represented next to Culsans.	de
Easun	Etruscan version of the Greek legendary hero Jason.
Evan	God of personal immortality and one of the Lasas. Unrelated to the common Celtic and Hebrew names Evan.
Februus	God of the dead and purification. He was also worshipped by the Romans in the Februalia festival, which were held at the same time as the Lupercalia in honor of Faun. As a result, Faun and Februus were often thought of as the same god by the Romans. The month of February was also named in his honor by the Romans, and the Roman god of malaria, Febris, may have derived from Februus.	fr it ja sv
Feronia	An obscure rural goddess primarily known from the various Roman cults who worshipped her.	it lt
Fufluns	Also Puphluns. God of plant life, happiness, health, and growth in all things. He was the son of Semia and was worshipped in the Fufluna or Pupluna, which the Romans called the Populonia. He was briefly adopted by the Romans, but soon replaced by other Italic fertility gods. He may have been equivalent to Bacchus (Dionysus) under the name Pacha.	it
Hercle	Also Herc or Horacle. Etruscan form of the legendary hero known to the Greeks as Heracles and the Romans as Hercules, associated with strength and water. The difference between the Greek and Roman names for this figure is a result of the Etruscan influence on the Romans.	it
Horta	Goddess of agriculture.	it tr
Laran	God of war. In art, he was usually portrayed as a naked young man with a helmet and spear. Laran's consort was the love goddess Turan, mirroring the relationship of Ares, the deity from the Greek pantheon who Laran would later be merged with, and Aphrodite, Turan's equivalent. Laran was also fused with his companion, Veive, in the process.	it
Lasa	Plural Lasas. The gods and goddesses who accompanied Turan, goddess of love, and served as guardians of graves.	it
Lasa Vecu	Goddess of prophecy, associated with the nymph Vegoia.
Leinth	Faceless goddess who waited at the gates of the underworld with Aita.
Lethans	Also Letham. Protector goddess of the underworld.
Losna	Also Lusna. Moon goddess, associated with the ocean and tides. She is probably related to the Greek goddess Leucothea.	it tr
Mania	Goddess of the dead in Etruscan and Roman mythology, not to be confused with the Greek goddess of insanity, Mania. She ruled beside Mantus and was said to be the mother of the Lares, Manes, ghosts, and other spirits of the night.	it
Mantus	God of the underworld and husband of Mania in both Etruscan and Roman mythology. They were associated with the city of Mantua, which may derive its name from Mantus.	it lt
Maris	God of agriculture and fertility, and a savior deity. He was later associated with—and probably the source of the name of—the Roman god Mars. Mars in turn was later associated with the Greek god Ares, causing Mars' agricultural aspect to shrink in proportion to his warrior aspect over time.
Menrva	Also Menarva. Goddess of wisdom, war, art, schools, and commerce. The Etruscan counterpart to the Greek Athena and Roman Minerva. Like Athena, Menrva was born from the head of her father, Tinia. Menrva, Tinia and Uni were part of a ruling triad of gods. Menrva found men distasteful; she decided that a man was a woman inside and shouldn't be allowed to roam the lands as a "man".	it nl ro
Nethuns	God of wells, later expanded to all moisture and water, including the sea. He was supposedly the same as the Greek Poseidon and Roman Neptune. The name Nethuns is likely cognate with that of the Celtic god Nechtan and the Persian and Vedic gods sharing the name Apam Napat.
Nortia	Goddess of fate and chance. Her attribute was a nail, which was driven into a wall in her temple during the Etruscan new year festival as a fertility rite.	it
Persipnei	Also Ferspnai. Queen of the underworld, equivalent to the Greek Persephone and Roman Proserpina. Again, the difference between these two deities' names is in part a result of Etruscan influence.
Satres	God of time and necessity. Depicted as an old man carrying a sickle and an hourglass. Equivalent to the Roman god Saturn.
Selvans	Also Selva. Woodlands god cognate with the Roman god Silvanus and associated with the Greek Silenus.	it
Semla	Earth goddess and mother of Fufluns. Possibly related to the Greek goddess Semele.	it
Sethlans	Also Velchans. God of fire and the forge, often wielding an axe. Equivalent to the Greek Hephaestus and Roman Vulcan.
Tages	Also Tarchies. God of wisdom. He commonly appeared at ploughing-time and taught Etruscans divination. He is either the son or grandson of Jove, or he was born directly from a freshly-plowed lot. He was depicted as having two snakes for legs, and some sources claimed that he was a daemon.
Taitle	The Etruscan form of the Greek mythological figure Daedalus.
Tarchon	An Etruscan culture hero who, with his brother, Tyrrhenus, founded the Etruscan Federatoin of twelve cities.
Tecum	God of the lucomenes, or ruling class.
Thalna	Goddess of childbirth and wife of Tinia. She was depicted in art as a youthful woman.	it nl tr
Thesan	Goddess of the dawn associated with the generation of life. She was identified with the Roman Aurora (mythology)Aurora and Greek Eos.	de hr it
Thethlumth	God of fate and the underworld.
Thufltha	Or Thuflthas. A fury, inflicting punishment on behalf of Tinia.
Tinia	Shortened to Tins. Chief Etruscan god, the ruler of the skies, husband of Uni, and father of Hercle. Associated with the Greek Zeus and Roman Jupiter.	cs it nl ro
Tiv	Or Tivr. Moon deity, possibly related to Germanic Tyr.
Tluscva	The pair of earth deities Tellus and Tellumo.
Tuchulcha	Female demon of the underworld. She was part human and part donkey and had hair made of snakes and a vulture's beak.
Turan	Goddess of love and vitality and patroness of the Etruscan city of Vulci. She was usually depicted as a young winged girl in art. Pigeons and black swans were her sacred animals, and her retinue was called the Lasas. She was also the wife of Maris. She was associated with the Greek Aphrodite and Roman Venus.	de it ro scn
Turms	God of trade and merchandise, and messenger of the gods. One aspect of his, Turns Aitas, was the leader of the dead. Commonly depicted with winged shoes and a herald's hat, nearly identically to Hermes and Mercury.	it
Tvath	Goddess of resurrection and love for the dead, related to the Greek Demeter.
Tyrrhenus	An Etruscan culture hero and twin brother of Tarchon.
Uni	Supreme goddess of the Etruscan pantheon, wife of Tinia, mother of Hercle, and patroness of Perugia. With Tinia and Menrva, she was a member of the ruling triad of Etruscan deities. Uni was the equivalent of the Roman Juno, whose name Uni may be derived from, and the Greek Hera.	nl it
Usil	Sun god.
Vanth	Underworld demoness with eyed wings. She was the omniscient herald of death, assisted ill people on their deathbeds, and inhaled good demons. In later times, she represented justice. In art, she was depicted with imagery such as snakes, torches and keys.	de cs
Veive	God of revenge and an associate of Maris. In art, he was depicted as a youth holding a laurel wreath and some arrows, standing next to a goat.	it tr
Veltha	Also Voltumna. The chthonic (earth) god of Etruscan myth, who later became the supreme Etruscan god. He was the patron of the Etruscan race. His cult was centered in Volsini. He was the equivalent of the Roman seasonal deity Vertumnus.	de it
Vetis	Underworld god of death and destruction.
Vicare	Son of Taitle, derived from the Greek mythological figure Icarus.

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Etruscan mythology

From Free net encyclopedia

List of Etruscan mythological figures

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