Manth (Etruscan: ๐๐๐๐, romanized:ย Manth), latinized as Mantus, is an epithet of the Etruscan chthonic fire god ลuri[1][2][3] as god of the underworld; this name was primarily used in the Po Valley, as described by Servius,[4] but a dedication to the god manฮธ from the Archaic period was found in a sanctuary in Pontecagnano, Southern Italy.
His name is thought to be the origin of Mantua (Italian: Mantova), the birthplace of Virgil.
[1] Elsewhere in Etruria, the god was called ลuri, latinized as Soranus, a cross-cultural deity associated with the underworld.
[1] When paired with the epithet Mantus, his consort Catha (Etruscan: ๐๐๐๐) was also called Mania (Etruscan: ๐๐๐๐๐); she was a goddess of the dead, spirits and chaos: she was said to be the mother of ghosts, the undead, and other spirits of the night, as well as the Lares and the Manes.
Cognates include Ancient Greek ฮผฮญฮฝฮฟฯ, mรฉnos, 'mind, thought', and Avestan ๐ฌ๐ฌซ๐ฌฅ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌจ, mainyu, 'spirit'.