Etruscans Now
Mythology
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Nancy de Grummond - Florida State University
A View of Etruscan and Praenestine Mythology
A number of advances have been made in the study of Etruscan and Praenestine myth in the last quarter of a century. A recurring problem has been the relationship with Greek mythology. Some have tried to show how meaningful or purposeful is the dependence on Greek traditio (E. Simon, M. Menichetti), while others have approached mythological representations from Italy with specific inquiries about their local aspects (J. P. Small, A. Weis, N. De Grummond), sometimes from the political point of view (F.-H. Massa-Pairault). The idea that the Etruscans and Praenestines simply made mistakes in their renderings (G. Camporeale) is yielding to a more nuanced recognition of regional mythological variations. L. B. Van der Meer has stressed the use of thematic categories by which Etruscan myth may be organized and studied. The possibilities of understanding this elusive material have been dramatically enhanced by many new discoveries and by the publication of the Praenestine cistae and of 25 fascicles of the Corpus Speculorum Etruscorum. Also of crucial importance are the numerous articles on specifically Etruscan figures in the Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Very helpful in studying Etruscan divinities is the new authoritative presentation of Etruscan inscriptions by Helmut Rix, Etruskische Texte. These and other developments will be evaluated in the presentation.