Adranus or Adranos (
Greek: ) was a fire god worshipped by the
Sicels
The Sicels (; la, Siculi; grc, Σικελοί ''Sikeloi'') were an Italic tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily during the Iron Age. Their neighbours to the west were the Sicani. The Sicels gave Sicily the name it has held since antiquity, bu ...
, an ancient population of the island of
Sicily. His worship occurred all over the island, but particularly in the town of Adranus, modern
Adrano, near
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...
. According to
Aelian Aelian or Aelianus may refer to:
* Aelianus Tacticus, Greek military writer of the 2nd century, who lived in Rome
* Casperius Aelianus, Praetorian Prefect, executed by Trajan
* Claudius Aelianus, Roman writer, teacher and historian of the 3rd centu ...
, about a thousand sacred dogs were kept near his temple in this town.
Adranus was said to have lived under
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...
before being driven out by the Greek god
Hephaestus, or
Vulcan. According to
Hesychius, Adranus was the father of the
Palici, born to Adranus' lover, the
nymph Thalia
Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to:
People
* Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress
Mythological and fictional characters
* Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...
.
Some modern commentators have suggested that Adranus may have been related to the similarly named gods
Adar
Adar ( he, אֲדָר ; from Akkadian ''adaru'') is the sixth month of the civil year and the twelfth month of the religious year on the Hebrew calendar, roughly corresponding to the month of March in the Gregorian calendar. It is a month of 29 d ...
and
Adrammelech Adrammelech ( hbo, , ʾAḏrammeleḵ; grc-koi, Ἀδραμέλεχ ''Adramélekh'') is an ancient Semitic religion, ancient Semitic god mentioned briefly by name in the Books of Kings, Book of Kings, where he is described as a god of "Sepharvaim" ...
, from
Persia and
Phoenicia respectively, who were also personifications of the sun or of fire in general.
References
Sources
*
Fire gods
Sicilian characters in Greek mythology
Roman gods
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