Orcus (Orc; lat. Orcus ) - the Roman god of death . Probably, he was originally one of the demons or small deities of the afterlife of the Etruscans , later became the ruler of the afterlife. Later, the image of Orcus merged with another god, Disputer , and even later both of these deities finally disappeared into the image of the god Pluto , the Roman analogue of the Greek Hades ( Hades ).
| Orcus | |
|---|---|
| lat Orcus | |
 Mouth of Orcus in the Sacred Forest of Bomarzo | |
| God of death | |
| Mythology | |
| Name interpretation | “Overseer” or “drover” |
| Floor | male |
| Character traits | a bearded demon covered with wool, sometimes with wings |
| Identifications | Dispatcher |
| In Hellenism | Pluto ( Hades ) |
The Etruscans portrayed Orcus as a bearded demon, covered with wool and sometimes winged; this spirit carried away human souls to the afterlife [1] . Probable oldest forms of the name of this deity are Uragus and Urgus , meaning “overseer” or “drover”, but this etymology seems rather doubtful [2] .
A large trans-Neptune object (dwarf planet) (90482) Orc discovered in 2004 was named in honor of Orcus.
Also, one of the most famous magazines targeted at representatives of the Gothic subculture published in Germany is named in honor of Orcus.
See also
- Dispatcher
- Pluto
- Hades
Notes
- ↑ Antolín. - P.256.
- ↑ Keightley. - P.527.
Literature
- Zamarovsky, Voitech . Gods and heroes of ancient legends: Dictionary. - M .: Republic, 1994. - p. 253
- Fernando Navarro Antolín . Lygdamus: Corpus Tibullianum III. 1-6: Lygdami elegiarum liber. - BRILL, 1996.
- Thomas Keightley . The Mythology of ancient Greece and Italy. - Whittaker and Co., 1838.