Satre

Satre belongs to the dangerous part of the Etruscan sky. On the Liver of Piacenza he sits in the north-west, the dark and unfavourable quarter, and he is described as a frightening god who throws his lightning upward from a dwelling deep in the earth — a chthonic power rather than a sky-father. Since the Etruscan doctrine of lightning read a bolt by the region it came from, a bolt of Satre's was among the heaviest omens a haruspex could be asked to interpret. He is conventionally identified with Roman Saturn, though which name lies behind which is disputed and the two gods' characters do not match closely.

Variant accounts

• Satre is usually identified with Roman Saturn.The identification is standard in the literature, but the direction of influence between satres and Saturnus is not settled, and the Etruscan god's character — chthonic and lightning-hurling — is not simply that of the Roman agricultural Saturn. The comparison is recorded here and no Saturn record is merged with this one.Reference article 'Satre (Etruscan god)', on the Saturn identification. (secondary)

Domains

• lightning
• underworld

Powers

• to hurl lightning upward from a dwelling deep in the earth

Sources

• Satre is an Etruscan god named on the Liver of Piacenza, occupying the dark and negative north-western region, a frightening and dangerous god who hurls his lightning from an abode deep in the earth; he is usually identified with Roman Saturn.: Liver of Piacenza (2nd-1st c. BCE), Museo Civico, Piacenza. (archaeological); Reference article 'Satre (Etruscan god)', on the region, the character and the Saturn identification. (secondary)