Achvizr
editAchvizr(Achuvesr, Achuvizr, Achviser, Acaviser, Achavisur) is an Etruscan deity depicted as both male and female; sometimes winged, sometimes not. [1] There are depictions of Achvizr on six Etruscan mirrors often depicted as an attended and ornatrix of Turan (mythology) and perhaps associated with eroticism and female sexuality. [2] Considerable speculation around the etymology and meaning has grown from the variety of ways to spell Achvizr. Ambros Josef Pfiffig, a qualified researcher of Etruscan mythology, has an analysis of the name Achvizr in which he claims it is a compound of Etruscan words for "to make" --aca-- and "phallus" --viz/vis-- and should accordingly be viewed as an instigator of male sexuality. [3] This is supported by the repeated motifs involving the lovers Turan and Atunis (Adonis). It is also refuted by other scholars as well as through the depictions in other sources.
Representations
editAchvizr is represented on six Etruscan bronze mirrors ranging from 325-300 BCE[4] and has one surviving inscription from a bronze cup found in a tomb from Narce. [5]
Mirrors
editMirror #1 A bronze mirror from circa 325 BCE. The embrace of Atunis and Turan, attended by swan or goose, labeled Tusna (left), and Zipna (right), with perfume bottle and applicator. Around the border, attendant spirits, clockwise from bottom: Hathna (a satyr), Alpan, Achvizr, Munthuch, Mean, two unnamed spirits.[6] Once again the surface is enriched by stippling and by a rich cast of characters in lively drapery; some are naked or halfway so; many hold ribbons and wreaths. The composition runs all around the medallion and provides interest for the eyes in all directions. Achvizr is represented as a nude, winged male in this image and is holding a ribbon of adornment.
Mirror #2
Achvizr is central to the narrative of this mirror. She is one of two clothed females in the center of the mirror who are embracing, the other has been identified as Alpanu. Thanr (left) gazes into a mirror in Etruscan fashion while Zipanu (right) is holding a bird. Achvizr is holding something in her hand, possibly a fruit or an egg (which is an Etruscan tradition). [7] Both Achvizr and Alpanu are both dressed elaborately with tunics and mantles, Achizr's hair is short and bangs hang from the bottom of her hairband, she has large earrings as well. This theme seems to be referencing female sexuality as opposed to male eroticism as Pfiffig had referred to.
Mirror #3
This Bronze mirror from Tarquinia depicts the lovers Turan and Atunis (Adonis) in the center of the image. Achvizr (left) is depicted as woman without wings, she is elegantly dressed with a long, draping tunic and has short hair. She raises her hand holding up an alabastron with some sort of liquid (wine or perfume) inside. Thalna (right) is semi-nude and winged holding up a garland crown preparing to adorn Turan with it. The mirror is ornately decorated with garlands and a flower on the top emerge. The bottom emerge depicts a feline creature with one paw raised and body in profile.
Mirror #4
From the 4th century BCE and currently located in Germany, this bronze mirror depicts a gathering of spirits of love and good will, all represented as female; on the left, Turan seated with a swan in her lap and a fragrant twig in her right hand. Thalna and Thanr, standing in the center, kiss and embrace affectionately; on the right Achvizr, seated, holds out pomegranates in each hand symbolizing fertility. [8] Achvizr is, again, dressed elaborately with a mantle and tunic. In her hair she has a head wrap, with her hair flowing out of the back and slightly dangling in the front, beneath the head wrap. She is offering one pomegranate and holding the other in her lap. The outside of the mirror is decorated with a lovely garland with berries, leaves, and vines interweaving for a beautiful border. Yet another representation that refutes Pfiffig's idea of Achvizr relating to male eroticism.
Mirror #5
The Etruscan deity Achvizr (right) joins the Greek characters Thethis (Thetis) and her son Achule (Achilles) in a graceful, friendly dance. The context is intimate, with a basin for bathing behind the group. Achvizr is depicted as a nude, wingless female in this mirror adorned with a tunic over her arm and nothing else. The theme is somewhat erotic in this image and lends to Pfiffig's theory of Achvizr's relation to male eroticism. Her hair is long as strands hang in front of her shoulders and she is wearing a necklace of some sort that does not connect in the middle. The image in the center is surrounded by a border with intertwining garlands and flowers. The beautiful, intimate scene dates back to the late 4th century BCE and is currently housed in the museum at the Rhode Island School of Design.[9]
Mirror #6
This Etruscan bronze mirror from the British Museum depicts a bride, Malavisch, being attended to by two female deities. On the left is a winged Achvizr holding a mirror and fixing the hood of the bride's mantle. Achvizr is draped with a beautiful garment, both a mantle and a tunic. On the wrist of the hand she holds the mirror with is a ribbon and above the elbow of the same arm is a band. Her necklace is made up of beads of some sort and her hair is braided and wrapped around her head. She is depicted as winged in this image and has a bird surrounding her. To the right is an unidentified woman applying what seems to be makeup to the face of the bride. She, too, is dressed elegantly with many adornments. A wreath borders the image and in the lower exergue lies a satyr with a kylix.
Inscriptions
editThere is only one surviving inscription of the name Achvizr outside of bronze mirrors and not much is known about it. It stands alone on a fragment of a bronze cup found in Tomb 15 at Narce.[10]
Bibliography
edit- De Grummond, N. Thomson. (1982). A Guide to Etruscan mirrors. Tallahassee, Fla.: Archaeological News.
- De Grummond, N. Thomson. (2006). Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
- Pfiffig, A. J. (1975). Religio etrusca. Graz: Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt.
References
edit- ^ De Grummond, N. Thomson. (1982). A Guide to Etruscan mirrors. Tallahassee, Fla.: Archaeological News.
- ^ De Grummond, N. Thomson. (1982). A Guide to Etruscan mirrors. Tallahassee, Fla.: Archaeological News.
- ^ Pfiffig, Ambros J. (1975). Religio Etruscan. Akadem. Druck- u. Verlagsanst.
- ^ De Grummond, N. Thomson. (1982). A Guide to Etruscan mirrors. Tallahassee, Fla.: Archaeological News.
- ^ Walker, Andrew. Etruscan Mythology.
- ^ De Grummond, N. Thomson. (1982). A Guide to Etruscan mirrors. Tallahassee, Fla.: Archaeological News.
- ^ Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend By Nancy Thomson de Grummond. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2006
- ^ Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend By Nancy Thomson de Grummond. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2006
- ^ De Grummond, N. Thomson. (1982). A Guide to Etruscan mirrors. Tallahassee, Fla.: Archaeological News.
- ^ Walker, Andrew. Etruscan Mythology.