Aita (), also spelled Eita (), is an epithet of the Etruscan chthonic fire god Śuri as god of the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

, roughly equivalent to the Greek god

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

().

Images

Aita is a relatively late addition to the Etruscan pantheon, appearing in iconography and in Etruscan text beginning in the 4th century BC, and is heavily influenced by his Greek counterpart, Hades.Helmut Rix, 1991. ''Etruskische Texte.'' Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag. Aita is pictured in only a few instances in Etruscan tomb painting, such as in the Golini Tomb from

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

and the tomb of Orcus II from Tarquinia. In these tomb paintings, he is shown with his consort Persipnei (), also spelled Phersipnai (), the Etruscan equivalent to the Greek

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

. Although Aita is very rarely depicted, he may appear enthroned and sometimes wears a wolf cap, borrowing a key attribute from the earlier Etruscan underworld wolf-deity, named Calu. Other examples of Aita in Etruscan art depict his abduction of Persipnei. Aside from tomb painting, Aita may be identified in a few examples in other

media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

, including on a 4th-century painted vase from Vulci, two 2nd century alabaster ash urns from

Volterra Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. History ...

, and a Red Figure 4th3rd century Oinochoe.

References

Bibliography

* * * ** ** ** ** * * * * ** * * ** ** {{Authority control Etruscan mythology Etruscan gods Underworld gods Epithets of Śuri