Lasa (mythology)

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Etruscan bronze mirror with a pseudo-lasa (3rd century BC)

A Lasa (plural Lasen ) is a lower Etruscan deity . The Lasen belonged to the entourage of the love goddess Turan and were of great importance in the Etruscan love cult. They could also appear as goddesses of fate . The Greeks and Romans often equated the lases with the nymphs .

Word origin and naming

The Lasen and Laren , the guardian spirits of certain places and families in the Roman cult , may be based on the same root word las- .

Inscription LASA SITMICA written with Etruscan letters from right to left

Like the nymphs, the lases were often differentiated from one another and individualized by specifying a proper name. The generic name Lasa was put in front of the proper name. In inscriptions are mentioned:

  • Lasa Achununa
  • Lasa Racuneta
  • Lasa Sitmica
  • Lasa Thimrae
  • Lasa Vecu , Vecui or Vecuvia

The first name then seems to have the character of a general designation, the second, on the other hand, that of a specific attribute. The designation of these lower deities was obviously based on the Etruscan naming for people, which consisted of first names and gentile names. The Lasa Vecu was called Nyphme Vegoia by the Romans.

Representation and function

Winged Lasa (center) with Tiur and Turan (3rd century BC)

The pictorial representation of lases can be found on numerous bronze mirrors and a gold ring. Usually they can be identified as such by an inscription. The lases often appear singly, naked and winged. But there are also depictions of clothed glasses, which then seem to play an important role in the scene. A male Lasa is depicted on at least two mirrors. The male figure is once called Lasa Sitmica .

The glasses on the mirrors apparently had the task of protecting their owners from harm, bringing lovers together and helping brides at weddings. In this respect, they played a role comparable to that of the Guardian Angels for the Etruscans . This explains the widespread use of Lasa mirrors.

From the 3rd century BC BC, naked, winged beings were often depicted with an alabastron on mirrors . It cannot be said with certainty whether lasers are depicted here, as there are no inscriptions on these mirrors. This is why these cases are also referred to as pseudo-lasers.

Underworld deity called Lasa (4th century BC)

Some Lasen could also have appeared as underworld deities. On a mirror, a lasa seems to present a scroll to two dead people in the underworld . According to another opinion, Lasen have no relation to the underworld. Accordingly, the designation of underworld deities as Lasen would be inadmissible.

In any case, there is a connection between the Lasen and fate and prophecy , as the Lasa Vecu in particular appears in the myth as a fortune telling. In addition, the lasers were of importance in the liver examination , which was used to explore the will of the gods. On the bronze liver of Piacenza , a teaching model for Etruscan priests, a region is consecrated to the Lasa.

Alpan and Evan are no longer Lasers in recent research. Both are now viewed as independent deities from the Turan entourage. The inscription Alpan is now also simply translated as a donation .

Bronze mirror with lenses

  • Lasa Thimrae (bottom right) and Lasa Racuneta (bottom)

  • A male figure named Lasa Sitmica (right)

  • A Lasa (middle) as the goddess of fate or the underworld

  • The fortune telling Lasa Vecu (right) with the goddess Menrva

literature

Web links

Commons : Lasa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nancy Thomson de Grummond, Erika Simon (ed.): The Religion of the Etruscans. P. 60.
  2. ↑ Nancy Thomson de Grummond, Erika Simon (ed.): The Religion of the Etruscans. P. 58.
  3. ^ Massimo Pallotino: Etruscology. P. 309.
  4. ^ Giuliano Bonfante, Larissa Bonfante: The Etruscan Language. An Introduction, p. 200.
  5. ^ Giuliano Bonfante, Larissa Bonfante: The Etruscan Language. An Introduction, p. 210.
  6. ^ Massimo Pallotino: Etruscology. P. 468.
  7. ^ Massimo Pallotino: Etruscology. P. 330.
  8. ^ Jean MacIntosh Turfa (Ed.): The Etruscan World. Pp. 1055-1056.
  9. ^ Giuliano Bonfante, Larissa Bonfante: The Etruscan Language. An Introduction, p. 200.
  10. ^ Giuliano Bonfante, Larissa Bonfante: The Etruscan Language. An Introduction, p. 200.
  11. ↑ Nancy Thomson de Grummond, Erika Simon (ed.): The Religion of the Etruscans. P. 23.
  12. ^ Massimo Pallotino: Etruscology. P. 309.
  13. ^ Nancy Thomson de Grummond: Etruscan Myth, Sacred History and Legend. P. 29.
  14. ^ Jean MacIntosh Turfa (Ed.): The Etruscan World. P. 534.
  15. ^ Giuliano Bonfante, Larissa Bonfante: The Etruscan Language. An Introduction. P. 214.