Mantus

Mantus is the Etruscan lord of the dead as the Graeco-Roman tradition described him — an old man with a crown and wings at his shoulders, ruling the dark realm beside Mania. It is worth being plain that this portrait comes from later report rather than from Etruscan texts: the underworld rulers the Etruscans themselves name are Aita and Persipnei, who already stand in this registry. Ancient tradition also derived the name of Mantua from him. The record is kept thin, and its source weight low, precisely because the figure is better attested in what Romans wrote about Etruscans than in what Etruscans wrote.

Variant accounts

• The Mantus–Mania pairing rests on later report, not Etruscan text.The picture of Mantus and Mania as king and queen of the Etruscan dead comes from Graeco-Roman authors and from the antiquarian tradition built on them, and it is described in older handbooks more confidently than the evidence warrants. Aita and Persipnei, both already in this registry, are the underworld rulers named in Etruscan sources themselves. The record is kept deliberately sparse and its weight marked low.Reference discussion of Mania and Mantus, noting their derivation from Roman-era report. (secondary)

Domains

• underworld
• death

Relations

• spouse: ManiaPaired with Mania as king and queen of the realm of the dead. The pairing comes from Graeco-Roman and antiquarian report rather than from an Etruscan inscription, and is recorded on that footing.Reference accounts naming Mantus and Mania as king and queen of the Etruscan underworld. (secondary)

Sources

• Mantus (Etruscan Manth) is reported as the god ruling the Etruscan underworld together with Mania, figured as an old man wearing a crown and winged at the shoulders, and connected by ancient tradition with the name of Mantua.: Reference and antiquarian accounts of Mantus and Mania as rulers of the Etruscan realm of the dead. (secondary)