Aita
Etruscan · deity · archaic · Recorded classification
Etruscan ruler of the dead, the counterpart of Hades/Pluto, recognizable by his wolf-skin cap. Enthroned in the painted tombs beside Phersipnei; attended by the death-spirits Vanth and Charun.
Domains
- underworld
- death and the dead
Powers
- Rule the realm of the dead
- Pass unseen in the wolf-skin cap
Relations
- sibling: NethunsLord of the dead beside his brother Nethuns of the waters — the Etruscan reflex of the Hades/Poseidon division of realms beneath Tinia's sky.de Grummond, Etruscan Myth (2006) (secondary)
- spouse: PersipneiHis co-enthroned queen Persipnei (Phersipnai), the Etruscan Persephone.Tomb of Orcus II, Tarquinia; Golini Tomb I, Orvieto (Aita and Phersipnai enthroned together) (primary)
Sources
- existence: Painted Tomb of Orcus II, Tarquinia (4th c. BCE) (primary); de Grummond, Etruscan Myth (2006) (secondary)