Hercle

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Hercle

Drawing of a scene on an Etruscan mirror in which Uni suckles the adult Hercle before he ascends to immortality
Parents Tinia
Greek equivalent Heracles
Roman equivalent Hercules

In Etruscan religion and myth, Hercle (also Heracle or Hercl) was a form of the Greek Heracles, depicted as a muscular figure often carrying a club and wearing a lionskin. He is a popular subject in Etruscan art, particularly bronze mirrors, which show him engaged in adventures not known from the Greek myths of Heracles or the Roman and later classical myths of Hercules.[1]

In the Etruscan tradition, Uni (Roman Juno) grants Hercle access to a life among the immortals by offering her breast milk to him.[2]

Etruscan aristocrats liked to identify with Heracle, and dedicate sculpture / art to him. This is because Heracle was a man first and through his actions and deeds was elevated to a God status. Something aristocratic society tried to identify with. A clear example of this is the presence of Heraclean iconography at the Temple of Portonaccio.

Scenes from Etruscan art

Hercle can be recognized in Etruscan art from his attributes, or is sometimes identified by name. Since Etruscan literature has not survived, the meaning of the scenes in which he appears can only be interpreted by comparison to Greek and Roman myths, through information about Etruscan myths preserved by Greek and Latin literature, or through conjectural reconstructions based on other Etruscan representations.

  • Hercle, depicted as a nude youth and carrying his club, presents the winged baby Epeur to Tinia, as Turan (left) and Thalna (right) look on.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nancy Thomson de Grummond, Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2006), pp. 12–13.
  2. ↑ De Grummond, Etruscan Myth, pp. 83–84.
  3. ↑ De Grummond, Etruscan Myth, p. 61.
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