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The Magliano tablet with references to Śuri. Florence, Museo archeologico nazionale di Firenze. Fifth century BCE.

Śuri (Śur) is a male Etruscan solar and oracular god who has connections to the underworld [1] [2]. He was a god at the south sanctuary at Pyrgi, Italy where he shared a cult with his consort Catha [3] [4].

Relations with Other Deities

Śuri has been equated to Soranus by Giovanni Colonna due to his underworld connections [5]. Colonna has also equated Śuri with the Etruscan god Aplu, the counterpart to the Greek god Apollo [6]. Śuri was conflated by the Greeks with Apollo and may have been syncretized as the Latin Apollo Soranus [7]. In Pyrgi, Śuri may have even been a local substitution for Aplu [8]. Additionally, Śuri has been linked with Dis Pater and Hades of Roman and Greek mythology respectively [9]. Śuri’s mantic functions possibly came from the division of functions of an older Etruscan god [10]. He is also sometimes associated with other Etruscan gods in different cities. For example, he is associated with Selvans in Tarquinia, Catha in Pyrgi, and Thufltha in Vulci [11].

Inscriptions

The main source of information about Śuri comes from inscriptions. However, he is not listed on the Piacenza Liver. The connection to Selvans at Tarquinia can be seen on a stele that says (s)uris selvansl [12]. Another example of an inscription referencing Śuri is on an Attic kylix which pairs Śuri and Catha together [13]. On some inscriptions at Pyrgi, Śuri is referred to as apa (father) which Colonna uses to equate him to Soranus Pater [14]. This reference along with an inscription on a bronze cone from either the fourth or third century BCE suggests that Śuri may have even been the father of Catha [15].

Images

Antefixes from Pyrgi, Italy. The top left antefix may depict Śuri. Rome, Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia. Sixth century BCE.

Nancy de Grummond has argued that one of the antefixes from Pyrgi from the late from the late sixth century that depicts a figure running with rays behind him is Śuri [16]. This antefix is believed to be Śuri because the rays behind the figure suggest he is a solar deity, and the fact that he was a popular god in Pyrgi makes it seem likely that the depiction is of Śuri rather than Usil [17].

Bibliography

Colonna, G. 2006. “Sacred Architecture and the Religion of the Etruscans.” In The Religion of the Etruscans, edited by N.T. de Grummond and E. Simon, 132-168. Austin: University of Texas Press.

de Grummond, N.T. 2004. “For the Mother and for the Daughter: Some Thoughts on Dedications from Etruria and Praeneste.” Hesperia Supplements 33:351-370.

de Grummond, N.T. 2008. “Moon Over Pyrgi: Catha, an Etruscan Lunar Goddess?” AJA 112:419-428.

de Grummond, N.T. 2016. “Ritual and Religion: Life at Sanctuaries.” In Caere, editied by N.T. de Grummond and L.C. Pieraccini, 149-164. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Jannot, J. 2005. Religion in Ancient Etruria. Translated by J.K. Whitehead. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

Simon, E. 2006. “Gods in Harmony: The Etruscan Pantheon.” In The Religion of the Etruscans, edited by N.T. de Grummond and E. Simon, 45-65. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Notes:

1. Simon 2006, 59.

2. de Grummond 2016, 153.

3. Simon 2006, 47.

4. Simon 2006, 57.

5. Simon 2006, 48.

6. Simon 2006, 59.

7. de Grummond 2016, 149.

8. Jannot 2005, 146.

9. Colonna 2006, 139-140.

10. Jannot 2005, 155.

11. Jannot 2005, 171.

12. Jannot 2005, 161.

13. Colonna 2006, 139.

14. de Grummond 2004, 357, 359.

15. de Grummond 2004, 367.

16. de Grummond 2008, 424-426.

17. de Grummond 2008, 424-426.