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In ], '''Charun''' was the ] of the ] known as ]. His name may have been inspired by ] from ], though he bears much more resemblance to ] demons or the ] divinities ] and ]<ref>Terpening, 14</ref>. In ], '''Charun''', also spelled '''Charu''' on Etruscan artifacts (with about equal frequency) and sometimes spelled '''Charontes''' in Greek <ref>Rose, 65</ref> or '''Caronte''' in Italian<ref>Rocco</ref>, was the ] of the ] known as ]. His name may have been inspired by ] from ], though he bears much more resemblance to ] demons or the ] divinities ] and ]<ref>Terpening, 14</ref>. Charun's best known atribute his his armament with a large mallet-type hammer that appears in most depictions, though its function is a matter of some debate among scholars.
==Appearance==
In representation, Charun was fundamentally different from his Greek counterpart. Charun was a large creature with a head wrapped in ],<ref>Terpening, 15; Rovin, 50; Rose, 65; Gimbutas, 169</ref> a ]'s hooked-], large ] like a ], <ref>Emeline Hill Richardson. ''The Etruscans: Their Art and Civilization''. ]: ], 1964, 1976, ISBN 0-226-71234-6 ; ISBN 0-226-71235-4 p. 164; Rovin, 50.</ref>, heavy brow ridges <ref>Hill, 164</ref>, large ], firey eyes, <ref>Terpening, 15; Rovin, 50</ref> pointed ] like an ass<ref>Graeme Barker and Tom Rasmussen. ''The Etruscans.'' ]: ], 1998, 2000, p. 242; Rovin compares them to a boar like the tusks</ref> , a black ], enormous ]<ref>de Grummond, 227; Richardson, 164; Rovin, 50; Rose, 66; Gimbutas 169; , , </ref> discolored (pale cream, bluish or greyish--men are typically depicted as ruddy)<ref>De Grummond, chapter X; she also thinks that Charun's gender is slightly questionable and may have been preceived as genderless or partially female; </ref> ], and snakes around his arm.<ref>Rovin, 50; , </ref> He is depicted with a ] with which he is believed by some scholars to have bashed the ]s of the ], by others to have defended the dead from evil, and by still others, both. He guides souls on on horseback to the underworld.<ref>Rovin claims that he "brings horses to the newly-dead", but this is speculation.</ref> He is often portrayed with the goddess ]. He is the servant of ] and ], and, in addition to Charon, is comparable to the Greeks' ], the ], and the ]<ref>Terpening, 15</ref>. De Grummond notes that Charon and his ] appear only once in surviving Etruscan art, and that some Etruscan demons are equipped with oars, but they typaclly use them as weapons rather than their maritime function.


==Behavior==
In representation, Charun was fundamentally different from his Greek counterpart. Charun was a large, bulky creature with a ] head wrapped in ], a ]'s hooked-], large ] like a ], large ], pointed ], a black ], enormous ], and snakes around his arms. He carries a ] with which he bashes the ]s of the ], after presenting them with ]s for the crossing<ref>Rovin, 50.</ref>, prodded along by the snakes of ]. He is often accompanied by the goddess ]. He is the servant of ] and ], and, in addition to Charon, is comparable to the Greeks' ], the ], and the ]<ref>ibid, 15</ref>.
Charun appears to some to love violence and participating in warfare.<ref>Terpening, 14; Rovin, 50 (Rovin adds that Charun enjoys natural disasters, as well.)</ref> An Etruscan ] from François Tomb ''(right)'' depicts Charun with ] or ] ''(left, cropped out)'' slaughtering ] prisoners. This urn is currently held in ] 920, ], Paris. One relief in particular, in the "Tomb of the Charuns" as ], shows two Charuns swinging their hammers at a person's head, though the head, probably that of ], the nobleman whose tomb it is, no longer survives in the relief due to a preservation mistake. There are four Charuns in a fresco in the same tomb, and each have sub-names. These are '''Charun Chunchules''', the heavily blistered '''Charun Huths''', '''Charun Lufe''', and the fourth has crumbled away to illegibility.<ref>de Grummond, Chapter X</ref> Years later, in the ], a Charun-like figure called ] would smash the loser with a hammer to make sure he was dead, perhaps in reflection of Charun.<ref>Starr, 451; De Grummond, Chapter X)</ref> The hammer could also be used to protect the dead--it is sometimes swung, as shown on the ], at serpents attacking the deceased.<ref> (which Rovin claims are prods from ], but Nethuns (more correct spelling) is a sea god and this is not supported in other sources).</ref> Most often it is simply held, or the handle planted on the ground and the mallet head leaned upon ''(above)''. <ref>de Grummond, Nancy. ''Etruscan Myth, Sacred History and Legend''. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Museum, 2006, chapter X.</ref> Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling disagree with de Grummond's findings about Charun's behavior: "Many scenes feature the two purely Etruscan underworld demons, Vanth and Charu, whose job is not to punish the dead but rather to escort them to their final destination. This is the only aspect of the Etruscan Charu, aside from his name, which connects Charu to the Greek Charon, the boatman of the dead." <ref>Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling. ''Etruscan Myths''. ], 2006. p.33</ref> They consider the icon of the Charuns' swinging hammers in Pulenas's tomb to be an ]--it is not his head being swung at, but evil spirits.


Charun loves violence and participating in warfare. An ] found in the Etruscan crater depicts Charun with ] slaughtering ] prisoners. This urn is currently held in ] 920, ], Paris.


Terpening notes that Charun's hammer or ] is sometimes replaced with an ], although it does not fit with his duties. Rovin says that some accounts (though he does not say which) depict him with a ], and that he "slices" souls with it. He adds that Charun enjoys natural disasters, as well. The Charon of ] in the '']'' is particularly cruel; according to W.F. Jackson Knight<ref>p. 257 (quoted in Terpening, 85)</ref>, "Vergil's Charon is not only the Greek ferryman of ] ]''], but more than half his Etruscan self, Charun, the Etruscan torturing death-devil, no ferryman at all." Terpening notes that Charun's hammer or ] is sometimes replaced with an ], although it does not fit with his duties. Rovin says that some accounts depict him with a ], and that he "slices" souls with it. At least one image shows him with both a hammer and a sword, though he is simply carrying it on his person.<ref>http://www.costaetrusca.com/infoet1.jpg</ref> The Charon of ] in the '']'' is particularly cruel; according to W.F. Jackson Knight<ref>p. 257 (quoted in Terpening, 85)</ref>, "Vergil's Charon is not only the Greek ferryman of ] ]''], but more than half his Etruscan self, Charun, the Etruscan torturing death-devil, no ferryman at all."


==Assistants==
⚫ ==In contemporary popular culture==
Charun works with many assistants in the Underworld. Most of their names are lost to us, but at least one, ], is identified in the tomb of Orcus II. She appears in a depiction of the story of ] (known to the Etruscans as These) visisting the underworld. These and his friend ] are playing a ], terrorized by Tuchulcha. This demon is probably female and has hair and wings like a ].<ref>de Grummond, 229-230)</ref>
⚫ In contemporary times, Charun has never been as popular as his Greek counterpart, though there are a few occurences.


Many of Charun's other assistants appear in the Tomb of the Blue Demons, which is also the home of the only Etruscan rendering of the aforementioned ferry of Charon.<ref>de Grummond, 230</ref>
*Monster #100 of the ] ] is Charun (1991). Unlike some ancient depictions, however, he is not wearing boots.


⚫ ==In contemporary popular culture==
⚫ *A reference to Charun in ''The Tribune's Curse: ]'' a ] ] by ]
⚫ In contemporary times, Charun has never been as popular as his Greek counterpart, though there have been some occurences.


*He appears in the poetry of ]. *He appears in the poem "Back Matter" by ], invoking the imagery of the Tomb of the Charuns.
*Charun is ] #97. Unlike Ancient depictions, he is bald, bulky, appears to be wearing no clothing, and his wings look leathery (perhaps in reference to Rovin's claim of "leathery skin") and lack feathers.
⚫ *A brief reference to Charun in ''The Tribune's Curse: ]'' a ] ] by ] in an invocation to "Father Dis" and related figures (p. 65).


==References== ==References==
There is not a great deal of English-language documentation about Charun. He receives notice in the following sources, and the reportage is mostly the same, though Terpening goes into more depth. Terpening gets his information from the ] writings of ]: ''Charun, Démon étrusque de la mort''. ]: Institut Historique Belge, 1934 and his article, "Le Thanatos d'Eutipide et le Charun étrusque." ''L'Antiquité Classique'' 1 (1932), 70-73. He also cites ]'s ''Il mito di Caronte nell'arte a nella letteratura'', ]: Clausen, 1897, chapter 4. There is not a great deal of English-language documentation about Charun, though this does not purport to be a complete list. The best source is de Grummond, who relies primarly on artwork, as very little primary writings on Etruscan religion exist. She notes that there are over 100 representations of this figure, whom the numbers suggest is perhaps the most popular deity of all to represent, though only nine of these mention his name. He receives notice in the following sources, and the reportage is mostly the same, though Terpening's book-length study on what went into the Greek figure Charon from the Ancient World to the Renaissance, goes into more depth. Terpening gets his information from the ] writings of ]: ''Charun, Démon étrusque de la mort''. ]: Institut Historique Belge, 1934 and his article, "Le Thanatos d'Eutipide et le Charun étrusque." ''L'Antiquité Classique'' 1 (1932), 70-73. He also cites ]'s ''Il mito di Caronte nell'arte a nella letteratura'', ]: Clausen, 1897, chapter 4.


*Bonfante, Larissa, and Judith Swaddling. ''Etruscan Myths''. University of Texas Press, 2006.

*]. ''The Living Goddesses''. ]: ], 2001. *]. ''Etruscan Myth, Sacred History and Legend''. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Museum, 2006,
*]. ''The Living Goddesses''. ]: ], 2001. p 169.
*]. ''Roman Vergil''. 1944. Reprint Middlesex: Penguin, 1966. *]. ''Roman Vergil''. 1944. Reprint Middlesex: Penguin, 1966.
*]. ''A Dictionary of Gods & Goddesses, Devils & Demons''. ], 1987.
*]. ''Ancient Art and Its Remains; or a Manual of the Archæology of Art''. ], 2001. *]. ''Ancient Art and Its Remains; or a Manual of the Archæology of Art''. ], 2001. pp 155 and 159.
*]. ''Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia''. ]: ], 1998. *]. ''Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia''. ]: ], 1998. pp. 65-66
*]. ''The Encyclopedia of Monsters''. New York: ], 1989. p. 50 *]. ''The Encyclopedia of Monsters''. New York: ], 1989. p. 50
*] ''A History of the Ancient World''. New York: ], USA, 1991. *Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History''. ], 1992. p. 17
*] ''A History of the Ancient World''. New York: ], USA, 1991. p 451.
*] ''Charon and the Crossing: Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Transformations of a Myth''. ]: ] Press, 1984. *] ''Charon and the Crossing: Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Transformations of a Myth''. ]: ] Press, 1984.
*] ''The History of Hell''. Harvest Books, 1995. *] ''The History of Hell''. Harvest Books, 1995. pp. 7, 25. She states on the latter page, "] could have been one of the keres or derivative of Etruscan Charun, but ] does not seem to think so."


==Notes== ==Notes==
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*] *]
*] *]

==External links==

{{mythology-stub}} {{mythology-stub}}
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Revision as of 21:32, 29 September 2006

File:Charun dead souls CdM.jpg
A typical depiction of Charun. From an Etruscan red-figure calyx-crater. End of the 4th century BC-beginning of the 3rd century BC.
File:Charun hammer CdM.jpg
The other side of the same artifact, depicting Ajax killing a Trojan prisonner in front of Charun.

In Etruscan mythology, Charun, also spelled Charu on Etruscan artifacts (with about equal frequency) and sometimes spelled Charontes in Greek or Caronte in Italian, was the psychopomp of the underworld known as Aita. His name may have been inspired by Charon from Greek mythology, though he bears much more resemblance to Chaldean demons or the Hindu divinities Shiva and Kali. Charun's best known atribute his his armament with a large mallet-type hammer that appears in most depictions, though its function is a matter of some debate among scholars.

Appearance

In representation, Charun was fundamentally different from his Greek counterpart. Charun was a large creature with a head wrapped in snakes, a vulture's hooked-nose, large tusks like a boar, , heavy brow ridges , large lips, firey eyes, pointed ears like an ass , a black beard, enormous wings discolored (pale cream, bluish or greyish--men are typically depicted as ruddy) skin, and snakes around his arm. He is depicted with a hammer with which he is believed by some scholars to have bashed the souls of the dead, by others to have defended the dead from evil, and by still others, both. He guides souls on on horseback to the underworld. He is often portrayed with the goddess Vanth. He is the servant of Mantus and Mania, and, in addition to Charon, is comparable to the Greeks' Thanatos, the Erinyes, and the Keres. De Grummond notes that Charon and his ferry appear only once in surviving Etruscan art, and that some Etruscan demons are equipped with oars, but they typaclly use them as weapons rather than their maritime function.

Behavior

Charun appears to some to love violence and participating in warfare. An Etruscan krater from François Tomb (right) depicts Charun with Ajax or Achilles (left, cropped out) slaughtering Trojan prisoners. This urn is currently held in Cabinet des Médailles 920, Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris. One relief in particular, in the "Tomb of the Charuns" as Tarquinia, shows two Charuns swinging their hammers at a person's head, though the head, probably that of Laris Pulenas, the nobleman whose tomb it is, no longer survives in the relief due to a preservation mistake. There are four Charuns in a fresco in the same tomb, and each have sub-names. These are Charun Chunchules, the heavily blistered Charun Huths, Charun Lufe, and the fourth has crumbled away to illegibility. Years later, in the Colosseum, a Charun-like figure called Dispater would smash the loser with a hammer to make sure he was dead, perhaps in reflection of Charun. The hammer could also be used to protect the dead--it is sometimes swung, as shown on the Orvieto amphora, at serpents attacking the deceased. Most often it is simply held, or the handle planted on the ground and the mallet head leaned upon (above). Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling disagree with de Grummond's findings about Charun's behavior: "Many scenes feature the two purely Etruscan underworld demons, Vanth and Charu, whose job is not to punish the dead but rather to escort them to their final destination. This is the only aspect of the Etruscan Charu, aside from his name, which connects Charu to the Greek Charon, the boatman of the dead." They consider the icon of the Charuns' swinging hammers in Pulenas's tomb to be an apotrope--it is not his head being swung at, but evil spirits.


Terpening notes that Charun's hammer or mallet is sometimes replaced with an oar, although it does not fit with his duties. Rovin says that some accounts depict him with a sword, and that he "slices" souls with it. At least one image shows him with both a hammer and a sword, though he is simply carrying it on his person. The Charon of Vergil in the Aeneid is particularly cruel; according to W.F. Jackson Knight, "Vergil's Charon is not only the Greek ferryman of Aristophanes , but more than half his Etruscan self, Charun, the Etruscan torturing death-devil, no ferryman at all."

Assistants

Charun works with many assistants in the Underworld. Most of their names are lost to us, but at least one, Tuchulcha, is identified in the tomb of Orcus II. She appears in a depiction of the story of Theseus (known to the Etruscans as These) visisting the underworld. These and his friend Peirithous are playing a board game, terrorized by Tuchulcha. This demon is probably female and has hair and wings like a Gorgon.

Many of Charun's other assistants appear in the Tomb of the Blue Demons, which is also the home of the only Etruscan rendering of the aforementioned ferry of Charon.

In contemporary popular culture

In contemporary times, Charun has never been as popular as his Greek counterpart, though there have been some occurences.

  • He appears in the poem "Back Matter" by Rachel Blau DuPlessis, invoking the imagery of the Tomb of the Charuns.
  • Charun is Monster in My Pocket #97. Unlike Ancient depictions, he is bald, bulky, appears to be wearing no clothing, and his wings look leathery (perhaps in reference to Rovin's claim of "leathery skin") and lack feathers.
  • A brief reference to Charun in The Tribune's Curse: SPQR VII a 2003 novel by John Maddox Roberts in an invocation to "Father Dis" and related figures (p. 65).

References

There is not a great deal of English-language documentation about Charun, though this does not purport to be a complete list. The best source is de Grummond, who relies primarly on artwork, as very little primary writings on Etruscan religion exist. She notes that there are over 100 representations of this figure, whom the numbers suggest is perhaps the most popular deity of all to represent, though only nine of these mention his name. He receives notice in the following sources, and the reportage is mostly the same, though Terpening's book-length study on what went into the Greek figure Charon from the Ancient World to the Renaissance, goes into more depth. Terpening gets his information from the French language writings of Franz de Ruyt: Charun, Démon étrusque de la mort. Rome: Institut Historique Belge, 1934 and his article, "Le Thanatos d'Eutipide et le Charun étrusque." L'Antiquité Classique 1 (1932), 70-73. He also cites Serafino Rocco's Il mito di Caronte nell'arte a nella letteratura, Torino: Clausen, 1897, chapter 4.

Notes

  1. Rose, 65
  2. Rocco
  3. Terpening, 14
  4. Terpening, 15; Rovin, 50; Rose, 65; Gimbutas, 169
  5. Emeline Hill Richardson. The Etruscans: Their Art and Civilization. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1964, 1976, ISBN 0-226-71234-6 ; ISBN 0-226-71235-4 p. 164; Rovin, 50.
  6. Hill, 164
  7. Terpening, 15; Rovin, 50
  8. Graeme Barker and Tom Rasmussen. The Etruscans. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 1998, 2000, p. 242; Rovin compares them to a boar like the tusks
  9. de Grummond, 227; Richardson, 164; Rovin, 50; Rose, 66; Gimbutas 169; , ,
  10. De Grummond, chapter X; she also thinks that Charun's gender is slightly questionable and may have been preceived as genderless or partially female;
  11. Rovin, 50; ,
  12. Rovin claims that he "brings horses to the newly-dead", but this is speculation.
  13. Terpening, 15
  14. Terpening, 14; Rovin, 50 (Rovin adds that Charun enjoys natural disasters, as well.)
  15. de Grummond, Chapter X
  16. Starr, 451; De Grummond, Chapter X)
  17. (which Rovin claims are prods from Nathuns, but Nethuns (more correct spelling) is a sea god and this is not supported in other sources).
  18. de Grummond, Nancy. Etruscan Myth, Sacred History and Legend. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Museum, 2006, chapter X.
  19. Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling. Etruscan Myths. University of Texas Press, 2006. p.33
  20. http://www.costaetrusca.com/infoet1.jpg
  21. p. 257 (quoted in Terpening, 85)
  22. de Grummond, 229-230)
  23. de Grummond, 230

See also

External links

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