Etruscan Goddess Catha or Leucothea from Pyrgi, 4th C. BCE
"Catha (Cavatha, Cavtha, Cath, Cautha, and Kavtha) is a female Etruscan lunar or solar deity, who may also be connected to childbirth, and has a connection to the underworld. Catha is also the Goddess of the south sanctuary at Pyrgi, Italy. She is often seen with the Etruscan God Śuri with whom she shares a cult. Catha is also frequently paired with the Etruscan God Fufluns, who is the counterpart to the Greek God Dionysus, and Pacha, the counterpart to the Roman God Bacchus. Additionally, at Pyrgi, Catha is linked with the God Aplu, the counterpart to the Greek God Apollo. Aplu may have even taken some of the characteristics of Catha when he was brought into the Etruscan religion. Giovanni Colonna has suggested that Catha is linked to the Greek Persephone since he links Catha's consort, Suri, to Dis Pater in Roman mythology.
The bulk of information regarding Catha comes mostly from inscriptions on Etruscan artifacts. One example that shows the importance of Catha at Pyrgi is the discovery of gold earrings dating from 530 to 520 BCE which were dedicated to Catha. The Sarcophagus of Laris Pulenas from the third century BCE from Tarquinia has an epitaph stating that the deceased individual was a priest of Catha amongst many other titles. Catha is named on the Piacenza Liver on the right lobe where the Gods of the lights and heavens are listed. This suggests that Catha was a cult deity. On some inscriptions, Catha is simply referred to as "daughter", and in Martianus Capella she is referred to as "the Daughter of the Sun". She has also been called the "Eye of the Sun". This evidence, along with her placement on the Piacenza Liver over Usil, suggests that she may be the counterpart to the Roman Solis Filia; however Solis Filia does not have the underworld connection that Catha does. Catha's underworld connections can be best seen on an Attic skyphos from a necropolis in San Cerbone dating to the 5th century BCE with an inscription stating it is dedicated to Catha."
-taken from Wikipedia
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| Etruscan Goddess Catha or Leucothea from Pyrgi, 4th C. BCE. |
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