Maris

Maris appears on Etruscan mirrors as a baby or a small child, which is unusual enough to be his defining feature, and he comes with a string of epithets — Halna, Husrnana, which is glossed 'Maris the Child', Isminthians — that may well distinguish several gods of the name rather than describe one. His name invites comparison with Roman Mars, but a child-god and a war god make an awkward match and the equation is contested. One account makes him a son of Hercle, and mirror scenes also set a Maris beside Menrva and Turan; since none of this settles into a single secure filiation, the record carries no parents and reports the claims instead.

Variant accounts

• Maris's parentage is reported inconsistently, and there may be more than one Maris.One reference account makes him a son of Hercle; mirror scenes also place a Maris with Menrva and with Turan. The epithets Halna, Husrnana and Isminthians may distinguish separate Marises rather than qualify one. Because no filiation is secure, the record carries no parents, and the reported descent from Hercle is kept here as a report.Reference article 'Maris (mythology)', reporting him as son of Hercle and listing the several epithets. (secondary)

Domains

• childhood

Epithets

• HalnaReference article 'Maris (mythology)', listing Mariś Halna among the epithets. (secondary)
• HusrnanaReference article 'Maris (mythology)', glossing Mariś Husrnana as 'Maris the Child'. (secondary)
• IsminthiansReference article 'Maris (mythology)', listing Mariś Isminthians among the epithets. (secondary)

Sources

• Maris is an Etruscan god shown on mirrors as an infant or child and carrying a series of epithets — Halna, Husrnana ('Maris the Child'), Isminthians — which appear to distinguish several figures of the name.: Etruscan engraved bronze mirrors naming mariś with epithets. (iconographic); Reference article 'Maris (mythology)', on the child iconography, the epithets and the reported filiation. (secondary)