Turms

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Populonia, 5
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Turms with winged petasos; at right Λ, mark of value. Blank.
AR 3.30 g (Etruscan coins)

In

Etruscan alphabet) was the equivalent of Roman Mercury and Greek Hermes
, both gods of trade and the messenger god between people and gods.
Jupiter),[3] although he is also thought to be ‘at the service’ (ministerium) of other deities.[4]

Etruscan artwork often depicts Turms in his role as psychopomp, conducting the soul into the afterlife.[5] In this capacity he is sometimes shown on Etruscan sarcophagi—in one case side by side with Charun and Cerberus.[2] In another depiction, in which the god is labelled as 𐌕𐌖𐌓𐌌𐌑 𐌀𐌉𐌕𐌀𐌑 Turmś Aitaś or ‘Turms of Hades’, he brings the shade of Tiresias to consult with Odysseus in the underworld.[6] Turms also appears in images depicting the Judgement of Paris,[3] as well as in scenes with Hercle (Heracles) or Perseus.[3]

The name Turms is of distinctively Etruscan origin, like that of Fufluns but in contrast to deities such as Hercle and Aplu (Apollo), whose names were borrowed from Greek.[7]

Turms is known more from decoration on everyday objects, such as mirrors, than from cult images,[3] although one dedication has been taken to indicate the existence of a temple of Turms at Cortona.[8]

Bernard Combet-Farnoux interprets comments by

Servius and Macrobius[9] as indicating that “Hermes-Turms” had the epithet Camillus, meaning ‘servant’ (i.e. of the other deities).[10] A scholium on Callimachus adds that “Cadmilos is Hermes in Tyrrhenia”; Combet-Farnoux considers Camillus and Cadmilos to be variants of the same name.[11]

Turms is also the name of a character in a historical novel by Mika Waltari, The Etruscan, which takes place during the end of Etruscan civilization.

References

  1. ^ Hermoea Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Combet-Farnoux (1980), p. 178.
  3. ^ a b c d Combet-Farnoux (1980), p. 179.
  4. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), p. 189.
  5. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), pp. 177–178.
  6. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), p. 179-180.
  7. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), pp. 171, 183–184.
  8. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), p. 173.
  9. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), pp. 185–187.
  10. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), pp. 214, 216–217.
  11. ^ Combet-Farnoux (1980), p. 208.

Works cited

  • Combet-Farnoux, Bernard (1980). "Turms étrusque et la fonction de « minister » de l'Hermès italique". Mercure romain : Le culte public de Mercure et la fonction mercantile à Rome de la République archaïque à l'époque augustéenne. École française de Rome. pp. 171–217.
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