In Etruscan mythology, Tyrrhenus (in ) was one of the founders of the Etruscan League of twelve cities, along with his brother Tarchon.

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

describes him as the saviour of the Etruscans, because he led them from

Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...

to Etruria; however this Lydian origin has been debated and disputed as it contradicts archeological, cultural and linguistic evidence, as well as the view held by both the Etruscans themselves and by other Etrusco-Roman and Greek ancient sources.Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Antiquities Romanae, Book 1; Section 30.Nancy Thomson de Grummond, Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend, "Foundation Myths and Legends"; pp. 201-208. Since ancient times, doubts have been raised about the accuracy of Herodotus' claims. Xanthus of Lydia, originally from Sardis and a great connoisseur of the history of the Lydians, wasn't aware of a Lydian origin of the Etruscans and never mentioned Tyrrhenus in any part of his history as a ruler of the Lydians, as reported by Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus. There is consensus among modern scholars that Herodotus' claims are not based on real events. His name was given to the Etruscan people by the Greeks. The Romans extended this use to the sea west of Etruria: the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

References

Mythological archetypes Etruscan mythology {{Europe-myth-stub