| Laran | |
|---|---|
Underworld God of War | |
_05.JPG) A statuette of the god Laran, depicted with traditional armour and a helmet. | |
| Symbol | Cuirass, shield, sword, and lance |
| Consort | Turan |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Ares |
| Roman | Mars |
In Etruscan mythology and religion, Laran (or Larun) is the god of war. In art, he was portrayed as a naked youth wearing a helmet, a cuirass and carrying a spear, shield, or lance.[1] Laran also appears to be an underworld god.[2] Among his attributes is his responsibility to maintain peace. According to some scholars, he also seems to have been the guardian of boundaries as shown by the boundary cippi found in Bettona with the inscriptions tular Larna and tular larns.[2] Along with eight other Etruscan gods, he can wield lightning.[1] Due to the Tabula Capuana we know that the Laran festival was celebrated on the Ides of May.[2] Laran is the Etruscan equivalent of the Greek Ares and the Roman Mars.[3] Like many other Etruscan gods, his name is gender neutral.
Previous scholarship thought that Marís, a mysterious figure(s) was the Etruscan god of war due to the similarity of the name to the Roman war god Mars.[4] However, that has been disproven and Laran has been identified as the Etruscan god of war.[4]
Laran was also shown in the company of another Etruscan god, Lurs.[2][5] The two names were associated with each other since the archaic period.[2][5]
- ^ a b The Etruscan World. Routledge. 2013. ISBN 978-0-415-67308-2.
- ^ a b c d e Konstantinos I. Soueref; Ariadni Gartziou-Tatti (2019). Gods of Peace and War in the Myths of the Mediterranean People. Ioannina, Greece: Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina - University of Ioannina. ISBN 978-960-233-247-4.
- ^ Simon, Erika; Thomson de Grummond, Nancy (2006). The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press. p. 58. ISBN 0292782330.
- ^ a b Simon, Erika; Thomson de Grummond, Nancy (2006). The Religion of the Etruscans. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292782330.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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