Etruscan mythology

mythical tale

ancient Etruscan artwork

methodology for cultural comparison

thumb|Fresco of Hades ("Aita", right) and Persephone ("Φersipnei", middle) leading a procession. Tomb of Orcus|Tomb of Orcus II, [[Tarquinia]] thumb|Tomba Golini, Orvieto

thumb|Vanth in a fresco in an Etruscan tomb in Tarquinia Vanth is a chthonic figure in Etruscan mythology shown in a variety of forms of funerary art, such as in tomb paintings and on sarcophagi.

Etruscan artifact

thumb|Foundation of Etruscan temple at Tarquinia, scene of the Tages legend. thumb|Furrows of the arable land in Umbria

In Etruscan mythology, Tyrrhenus (in ) was one of the founders of the Etruscan League of twelve cities, along with his brother Tarchon.

Tarchon was a culture hero of Etruscan mythology who co-founded the Etruscan dodecapolis along with his brother Tyrrhenus. He appears in literature such as Virgil's Aeneid, where he is described as King of the Tyrrhenians. In the poem, he leads the Etruscans in their alliance with Aeneas against Turnus and the other Latin tribes. The later Byzantine writer John the Lydian distinguishes two legendary people by this name. In his version of the myth, Tarchon the Elder received the Etrusca Disciplina from the prophet Tages while Tarchon the Younger fought with Aeneas after his arrival in Italy.

thumb|A typical depiction of Charun. From an Etruscan red-figure calyx-crater. End of the 4th century BC-beginning of the 3rd century BC. thumb|The other side of the same artifact, depicting Ajax killing a Trojan prisoner in front of Charun. In Etruscan mythology, Charun (also spelled Charu, or Karun) acted as one of the psychopompoi of the underworld (not to be confused with the god of the underworld, known to the Etruscans as Aita). He is often portrayed with Vanth, a winged figure also associated with the underworld.

Śuri (), Latinized as '''''', was an ancient Etruscan infernal, volcanic and solar fire god, also venerated by other Italic peoples – among them Capenates, Faliscans, Latins and Sabines – and later adopted into ancient Roman religion.

polytheistic religion practised in ancient Etruria

In Etruscan religion, Hercle (also Heracle or Hercl), the son of Tinia and Uni, was a version of the Greek Heracles, depicted as a muscular figure often carrying a club and wearing a lionskin. He is a popular subject in Etruscan art, particularly bronze mirrors, which show him engaged in adventures not known from the Greek myths of Heracles or the Roman and later classical myths of Hercules.

thumb|Bronze statuette of Culsans, ca. 300–250 BCE, with inscription along left thigh (Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca, Cortona) Culsans (Culśanś) is an Etruscan deity, known from four inscriptions and a variety of iconographical material which includes coins, statuettes, and a sarcophagus. Culśanś is usually rendered as a male deity with two faces and at least two statuettes depicting him have been found in close association with city gates. These characteristics suggest that he was a protector of gateways, who could watch over the gate with two pairs of eyes.

In ancient Etruscan religion, Usil was the god of the sun. After the Etruscans were defeated by the Romans and assimilated into the Roman Empire, Usil was identified with the Roman sun god Sol. While the deity was typically portrayed as a male, there are also a number of female depictions.

ally of Romulus

Etruscan leader

Vegoia (Etruscan: Vecu) is a sibyl, prophet, or nymph within the Etruscan religious framework. She is identified as the author of parts of their large and complex set of sacred books, detailing the religiously correct methods of founding cities and shrines, draining fields, formulating laws and ordinances, measuring space and dividing time; she initiated the Etruscan people to the arts, as originating the rules and rituals of land marking, and as presiding over the observance, respect, and preservation of boundaries.