Fufluns or Puphluns was a deity of all plant life, joy, wine, health, and development in all things in the religion of the Etruscans.
The 16 gods that oversee the Etruscan astrological houses are recorded in the Liver of Piacenza’s inscriptions, and he is referenced twice among them. The ninth of the 16 gods, he is. He is the child of the goddess Tinia and Semla. He is the town’s namesake and was worshipped in Populonia (Etruscan Fufluna or Pupluna). His Roman equivalent is Liber, whereas his Greek counterpart is Dionysus, Bacchus in the Roman mythology. He also went by the names Pacha or Fufluns Pachies as a result. He was raised by the Romans but swiftly merged with Bacchus, and the impact of Dionysian frenzies greatly altered his ceremonies.
Fufluns is typically shown as a young guy without a beard, however he is sporadically represented as an elderly man with a beard. In works of art, Fufluns is linked to a number of different gods, notably his mother Semla and brother Apulu (Apollo). They were sometimes associated with Fufluns, who was viewed as a psychopomp who safeguarded and directed souls as well as a chthonic god connected to the underworld. Additionally, Catha, an entirely Etruscan deity, was linked to Fufluns. Numerous stories are shared between Fufluns and Dionysus, notably the tale of his birth, which is similar to the tale of Zeus and Semele.
Featured image: Northern Etruria, Fufluns, Palazzo dei Musei, Modena
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