All About Etruscan god Usil/Śuri the Infernal Sun God
Titles and Other names: Soranus, Apulu, Tivr (maybe), Sol, Dis Pater
Attributes
The Sun
The Underworld
Infernal fire or Volcanic fire
The moon (possibly)
Darkness
Plague
The Morning Dew
Lighting (mostly attune to volcanic lighting)
Health
Light
Prophecy and other Oracular beliefs
Symbols/Sacred Animals
Wolf
Goat
Sun areole or rays
Lighting bolt
A bow
Sledgehammer
Sword
Spear
Lead
Halo
General Information
What we know of Usil is mostly from a bronze artifact called Piacenza liver it was a guide or map shaped in a sheep’s liver found in northern Italy near Piacenza made around 100 BCE. A tool used in haruspicy or reading omens through entrails of animals which the Etruscans were well know in this practice that which the Romans admired and adopted their knowledge in their own practices. Basically the liver is section mirroring how the sky is section during Augury each section has a domain of a god one side of the right contains celestial and light gods. Usil is mentioned quite a few times and there is evidence that he was popular in everyday life of Etruria he also appears on many mirrors depiciting him with another deity named Thesan goddess of Dawn he is seen with Nethuns/Neptune. There is Etruscan inscriptions but their language is not well known nor translated but what we do have is a concessive evidence of Usil and with pieces we can put together of what the Etruscans did left behind.
Who is Usil?
Through depictions of Usil that we have and art pieces like the mirrors depict Usil in the similar fashion of Apollo, he carries a bow in his right hand, he is depicted of rising out of the sea and joining by Thesan and waving farewell to Nethuns who is seated, it depicts a close relationship with the sun and dawn which isn’t seen in Ancient Greek mythology. Another myth is hard to decipher and not really understood so don’t take it as fact but it’s Usil as a youth running with a cock-headed companion it’s suggested that this might be a myth of the morning dew when daybreak happens however due to lack of translation we don’t really know for certain of the companion’s name or the full context. It also shows two stars in hands of a winged goddess speculated being Thesan carrying the morning and evening star.
Apollo is known to the Etruscans went by as Apulu/Aplu, however Usil like the other deities of Etruscan is more connected to the Cthonic sphere, when sunsets Usil is in the underworld and is know as Suri “Black” or Soranus scholars presume it’s similar how in Egyptian afterlife where their dead is also have their time in the sun. So why the connection to Apollo? Well Apollo has connections to the dead and dying which the Etruscans noticed in several myths of Apollo taking care of the corpses of Hector and Sarpedon, during the beginning of Euripides “Alketis” Apollo leaves the house of a friend whose wife is dying. Etruscans called him the god of Mount Soracte which is north of Rome, known as Apollo Soranus and alongside him was Dis Pater of the underworld. In the Aeneid Etruscan Arruns/Princes pray to him “Summe deum, sancti custos, Soractis Apollo.” Meaning “The supreme god, the guardian of the holy, Apollo of Soractus” due to votive inscriptions throughout Etruria Archaeologist Giovanni Colonna who specializes in historical excavations of Etruscan sites including finding a temple of Apollo in Veii has identified that through archeological evidence that Súri is Soranus, many amulets given to the dead and painted in tombs were sacred laurels of Apulu or Usil. Usil was connected with the Sibylline Oracles which the Romans would equate it with Apollo and Helios later on to establish a cult.
He also shared a cult under the name Súri with another goddess named Catha/Kavtha referring to her as a “daughter” or “daughter of the sun”
Sooo what does all this means?
Usil was a sun god similar to how the Greeks saw Helios but he had attributes and domains similar to Apollo. Etruscans notice how in certain aspects Apollo was associated with death or the dying a Cthonic aspect, which they gave him a epithet named after the mountain which he was worshipped as Apollo Soranus (latinized) after Mount Soracte along with Dis Pater the king of the underworld since the Etruscans merged Apulu with Usil he also took the name as Soranus. Súri is an infernal aspect as well and the underworld venerated at multiple sites like Viterbo and Surrina which was named after him due to the extensive work of Giovanni Colonna who made a great contribution towards preserving Etruscan history and archeology was able to piece together that Súri is Apulu who had underworld connections like his Greek counterpart.
Usil and Tivr or Tiv
Tivr is a goddess of the moon but this name is also used for Usil, the name “Tivr” means “Bright one” but it can be used as a word for month or the moon. It can be said that Usil was a deity of the moon or at least a control over time or that he was also can be seen as a goddess as well. It was a common among the Etruscans to see their deities more gender neutral using same names for other deities.
But her name appears on the back of the Piacenza Liver next to Usil hence all these theories but it can be just a division of two skies night and day with two separate deities but I’m putting this here to make it known have your own thoughts on it.
Súri
Súri’s name means “black” or “from the black place/underworld” A lot of symbols and associations of Usil comes from the deity Súri, the Cthonic Sun deity with a lot of connections to other Dii inferi (gods of below/underworld) like Charun a deity with a monstrous face of a wolf carries a sledgehammer but acts like a guide of the dead, Manth is the King of The Underworld similar to that of Hades, Calu who is also a wolf like deity name means darkness or dark. He is considered to be an oracular god sacred animal is the goat and along with oblivious the wolf His priests were called Hirpi Sorani “Wolves of Soranus”. He was also known as Vetis an Etruscan god of healing counterpart was Asclepius holding bunch of arrows. Soranus he became associated with volcanic and infernal fire and Volcanic lightning.
He was also linked with nocturnal lightning as Summanus who was the “opposed twin” of Jupiter and one of the Novensiles the nine deities to wield lightning bolts as wells as personification of the night. Every June 20th of the Summer Solstice people would make round cake called Summanalia he was typically offered black oxen or any dark fur animal like any other Cthonic deity
You can take these names that are provided as epithets to use in more efficient ways and respectable approach to Usil. Again there isn’t much on him except the artifacts and archeological evidence, of course things can change as time goes on but that’s why Etruscan history needs more attention because there is so much missing from their history and religions except putting pieces that make sense unless other historical findings change Usil and Súri are either identical or Súri and Usil are ephitets. I always encourage people to do their own research and come to their own conclusions, if you know more information or I got anything wrong please let me know! I am always nervous discussing deities that don’t have much information on them so I hope I did okay lol