Etruscan mythology Etruscan religion comprises a set of stories, beliefs, and religious practices of the Etruscan civilization, heavily influenced by the mythology of ancient Greece, and sharing similarities with concurrent Roman mythology and religion. As the Et ...

, Tuchulcha was a

chthonic The word chthonic (), or chthonian, is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''χθών, "khthon"'', meaning earth or soil. It translates more directly from χθόνιος or "in, under, or beneath the earth" which can be differentiated from Γῆ ...

daemon Daimon or Daemon (Ancient Greek: , "god", "godlike", "power", "fate") originally referred to a lesser deity or guiding spirit such as the daimons of ancient Greek religion and mythology and of later Hellenistic religion and philosophy. The wo ...

(not to be confused with the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

term " demon") with pointed ears (perhaps those of a donkey), and hair made of

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s and a

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for fo ...

(perhaps that of a

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North a ...

). Tuchulcha lived in the underworld known as

Aita Aita (also spelled ''Eita'' in Etruscan inscriptions) is the name of the Etruscan equivalent to the Greek Hades, the god of the underworld. Images Aita is a relatively late addition to the Etruscan pantheon, appearing in iconography and in ...

. Many scholars refer to this deity as male because of masculine features, such as animalistic facial hair that may resemble a beard. According to Nancy de Grummond, "This monster is often referred to as male but in fact is very likely female (or neither gender), for she wears a woman’s

dress A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece Clothing, garment). It consists of a top piece th ...

, has decidedly pale pinkish skin (compare the standard brick-red male flesh of These), and even appears to have breasts." She also identifies the diamond-marking of Tuchulcha's serpents as identifying the poisonous adder ('' Vipera berus berus''). Emeline Hill Richardson and Graeme Barker and Tom Rasmussen also state that Tuchulcha is female. Tuchulcha's garment is known to classical historians as a

chiton Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail sh ...

and is worn by both men and women. As well, the same clothing is worn by another male deity,

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 (mythology), Aita). He is often portrayed with Van ...

. The only known rendering of Tuchulcha is identified in a wall painting in the Tomb of Orcus II, in

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded World ...

, Italy. There the deity appears in a depiction of the story of ''These'' (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describ ...

) visiting the underworld. These and his friend Peirithous (only his head visible in the surviving portion of the image) are playing a

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a ...

, attended by Tuchulcha.de Grummond, Nancy. ''Etruscan Myth, Sacred History and Legend''.

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

University of Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the unive ...

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and th ...

, 2006. pp. 229-230) In the film, ''

The Dead Are Alive ''The Dead Are Alive'' ( it, L'etrusco uccide ancora / ''The Etruscan Kills Again'') is a 1972 giallo film by Italian director Armando Crispino, with music by Riz Ortolani, and starring Alex Cord, Samantha Eggar and John Marley. It was released ...

'' (1972, directed by

Armando Crispino Armando Crispino (18 October 1924 – 6 October 2003) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Biella, Piedmont. He directed nine films between 1966 and 1975. He also wrote for nine films between 1965 and 1975. He also d ...

), a fresco depicting Tuchulcha is the inspiration for a serial killer's murders occurring somewhere between

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Sp ...

and

Cerveteri Cerveteri () is a town and '' comune'' of northern Lazio in the region of the Metropolitan City of Rome. Known by the ancient Romans as Caere, and previously by the Etruscans as Caisra or Cisra, and as Agylla (or ) by the Greeks, its modern nam ...

References

Chthonic beings Etruscan deities Donkey deities {{Etruria-stub