Dennis, George: The cities and cemeteries of Etruria: in two volumes (Band 2) (London, 1848)

180 VOLTERRA.—The Museum. [chap. xli.

warrior also kneeling on an altar, with two other figures
falling around him, to which are attached the names
" Acns" and " Priumnes." 2

Orestes persecuted by the Furies.—There are here not
three only of these avengeful deities, but five, armed with
torches or hammers, attacking the son of Agamemnon,
who endeavours to defend himself with his sword.3

Many of these urns bear mythological subjects purely
native. The most numerous class is that of marine deities,
generally figured as women from the middle upwards, but
with fishes' tails instead of legs—

Desinit in piscem mulier formosa superne.

A few, however, are represented of the male sex, as that
in the woodcut at the head of this chapter. These beings
are generally winged also, probably to show their super-
human power and energy; and smaller wings often spring
from their temples—a common attribute of Etruscan
divinities, symbolical, it may be, of a rapidity and power

no means uniformly expressed on choice Irish, and may hug themselves in

Etruscan monuments. On one mirror, the discovery that Urste means " stop

which represents the same mythical the slaughter !"— Clutmsta, "stop the

event as this urn, the names are spelt pursuit!"—Puluctre, "all are pri-

"Urusthe" and " Clutumsta," (Ger- soners!" (Etruria Celtica, II. p. 166)

hard, Etrusk. Spieg. taf. CCXXXVII.) ; —but few will be inclined to reject the

and on another, " Ubusthe " and old-fashioned interpretation of Orestes

" Cluthumtjstha ;" and a fierce demon, and Clytemnestra.

named " Nathum," with huge fangs, 2 Inghir. I. tav. 43. Micali, Ant. Pop.

and hair on an end, stands behind Ital. tav. 109. There are some kindred

the avenger, and brandishes a serpent scenes, where two armed men, kneeling on

over the murderess's head. Gerh. an altar,are defending themselves against

Etrusk. Spieg. taf. CCXXXVIII.; their foes. One of them being some-

Gottheiten der Etrusker, taf. VI. S, pp. times represented with a head in his

11,63; Bull. Inst, 1842, p. 47. Ger- hand, seems intended for Perseus. Gori,

hard takes this demon to be a female, I. tab. ISO, 175 ; Inghir. I. tav. 58, 59 ;

and equivalent to Mania. A totally VI. tav. A. 5.

different interpretation has been found 3 Inghir. I. tav. 25 ; cf. Gori, I tab.

for this urn. Etrusco-Celts, if they will, 151.
may pronounce the inscriptions to be