Cacus

Hercules killing the fire-breathing Cacus, engraving by Sebald Beham (1545)

In Greek and Roman mythology, Cacus (Ancient Greek: Κάκος,[1] derived from κακός, meaning bad) was a fire-breathing giant and the son of Vulcan (Plutarch called him son of Hephaestus).[2] He was killed by Hercules after terrorizing the Aventine Hill before the founding of Rome.[3]

  1. ^ Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, 1.39.2
  2. ^ Plutarch, Of Love, Moralia, 18
  3. ^ "CACUS: Giant of the Land of Latium". theoi.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012.